Sweet Seduction
by Awen Sofer
Summary: L has a girlfriend. Or so he says. Preying on Light's greed and excessive need to win, he plans to use his 'girlfriend' to make the god fall. In the end, who will be the one to really fall? And into what? Orginal Character/Not a pairing of L and Light/NO Yaoi
1. Introduction

Introduction

"Hey, there's that weird guy!"

"Oh, no! He's here again today?"

"Somebody go get Sachi. I think she likes him. Let her take care of him."

All of the girls in the bakery scrambled to the back to find their fellow employee Sachi. She could serve the humpbacked freak with the panda eyes.

"Sachi!" Ai yelled.

Sachi looked at the huge blob of icing she had squeezed out onto the cake from Ai's screeching that scared her half to death. She glanced up from the cake to glare at the girl while issuing an exasperated sigh. A wry grin twisted her lips when she thought about how ironic it was that ill-tempered Ai's name meant love and she was almost unlovable.

"Sachi! Get out front! That creep is here again. You handle him," she ordered, placing her bony fingers on her nonexistent hips. To be eighteen, she had the body of a ten year old.

"Why me?" she inquired, using her finger to scrape off the blob of icing. Absentmindedly she reached up to swipe at stray hairs tickling her face and managed to get the icing on her cheek. She was too aggravated to notice and her fellow bakery employee was too mean to tell her it was there.

Sachi put down the icing bag and went out front to see who the girl was talking about. She smiled when she saw the mystifying man who had been frequenting the bakery for the last month. He always ordered the same thing: the vanilla cake with vanilla icing and strawberries and coffee which he proceeded to load with sugar emptying the sugar bowl on his table. The other girls thought he was homeless because of his careless way of dressing which included an oversized white t shirt with long sleeves, jeans that were at least two sizes too big, and dirty torn shoes. She guessed they were too stupid to see that he was completely clean except for the well-worn shoes. To her he smelled good too. The scent was like that of the bakery: sugary and sweet with a hint of vanilla. Maybe all those sweets he ate were leaking through his pores. She would admit he acted a bit strange and eccentric. His humped over posture and shaggy black hair only added to this impression. He was always quiet and well-mannered so if that was weird, she liked weird. The only thing that baffled her was the abnormal dark circles under his eyes that never got any better. Perhaps perpetual insomnia was to blame.

Sachi had already plated an extra-large slice of cake and was pouring his coffee into one of the fancy china cups when he walked in. She caught his eye and smiled, receiving an uncomfortable half smirk in return. Motioning him to a table, she walked around the counter with his usual order.

"Thank you," he said gratefully in his soft, breathy voice.

Sachi watched him curiously as he balanced on the edge of the chair like a big bird sitting on a wire. He reminded her of a gargoyle perched on the roof of a gothic building. She sat down, propping her elbow on the table with her chin in her hand. Studying him with open interest, she wondered why it did not make him uncomfortable.

"Can I help you?" he asked, without looking up from the papers he was reading.

Sachi raised up a bit so she could see the tab of the file folder. The word Kira was written in thick black letters. She turned her eyes back to the bizarre man who was now looking at her with his dark, penetrating eyes.

"Can I help you?" he repeated in his almost feminine monotone.

"No. I'm just curious about you," she stated nonchalantly, shrugging her shoulders. "What are you reading?"

"Nothing important," he responded, grabbing the sugar bowl.

"Oh? I don't know. Kira seems to be pretty important as much as they talk about him on the news," she stated boldly, biting her lower lip when he stopped heaping sugar cubes into his coffee. "You know, you could save time and just pour the coffee into the sugar bowl."

"Are you always so forward and smart mouthed?" he questioned, something akin to a smile crossing his lips briefly.

"Uh-huh," she muttered, nodding enthusiastically while keeping her lively brown eyes on him.

"You've got something …" He brushed across his cheek to give her the hint.

"What? Here?" She grazed her cheek with her fingertips, feeling the sticky glob of icing there. Looking around for a napkin and realizing she had forgotten to bring them, she stood up.

"Wait," he said, grabbing her hand and moving faster than she thought possible.

Sachi's breath caught in her throat when she felt his warm, wet tongue on her cheek licking off the sugary substance. She gaped at him unable to speak as her body trembled from the unexpected contact. Clearing her throat and gathering her wits, she raised her chin stubbornly with a blush on her cheeks.

"Now who's being forward?" she challenged, flouncing off to the kitchen to get the napkins. She could have gotten some from behind the counter, but she needed a moment to get over the shock.

He was perched on the chair again when she returned to the table with the napkins. His eyes were back on the papers, and he was chewing on his thumb pensively

"Did you need some more coffee?" she asked, seeing his empty cup.

"Yes, please. And your phone number," he added when she was walking away from the table.

Sachi froze, glad she had not yet retrieved the coffee pot to refill his cup. When she was able to move again, her fingers wrapped around the handle of the pot with such a firm grip her knuckles turned white. She walked stiffly to his table to refill his cup. Maybe her coworkers were right; maybe he was just a freak. For him to be so quiet and soft spoken, he was outrageously inappropriate and brazen.

"Well?" he pressed her, dropping sugar cubes into his fresh coffee.

"Oh…you were serious," she retorted. She held out her hand and commanded, "Give me your phone."

"My what?"

"Duh! You're phone. You want my number right?"

"Yeah," he answered just a little bit unsure. He produced his cell phone from his back pocket holding it by the very edges with his thumb and forefinger. He lifted the coffee cup to his mouth with his pinky out.

"Are you gay?" she inquired, snatching the phone from his unusual grasp on the device.

"No. What would give you that idea?" He looked up at her questioningly with his dark rimmed eyes.

"You're awfully prissy and delicate for a man." She punched her number into his phone and hit send. She would have his phone number too so she would know it was him calling.

"Is that a bad thing?" He took his phone back from her with that same peculiar grip.

"Not if you're gay."

"I'm not gay," he assured her, giving her a genuine smile.

"I guess not since you asked for my phone number," she returned, smiling at him. "What's your name?"

"Hideki Ryūga," he answered. "What's your name sweet girl?"

"Sachi Tokuguchi," she rejoined, watching the languid, lecherous smile spread across his face.

"Girl child of bliss with the virtuous mouth, huh?"

"One word and I will punch you right out of that chair. I'll stomp your ass and your phone so you can't call me."

"Tsk, tsk," he hissed, waving his finger her face. "Well, the virtuous mouth part has been disproven. How about we find out about the bliss part?"

"Wow. You're quite a pervert," she remarked with a lopsided grin. "I also think you're full of crap and trying to manipulate me. Call me sometime."

L watched the woman curiously as she flipped her long chocolate brown hair over her shoulder and bounced away. Women usually did not interest him much but something about his one had captured his attention. He would definitely be giving her a call. She could prove to be useful to him. Another libidinous smile stretched his lips. She might be useful in some surprising ways.


	2. Chapter 1

Sachi looked at her cell phone impatiently. She was completing the cleaning so she could leave work. When she saw it was a call from Hideki, she answered.

"Hello?" she sang, accidentally adding a little too much sugar to her fake voice.

"What's wrong with you?" L asked, noting her overly sweet tone.

"What do you want?" she growled irritably.

"That's more like it," he said with an unmistakable lilt of satisfaction.

"Tell me what you want or I'm hanging up."

"Can you bring me one of the cakes that I like? I was too busy to come by today and I'm having sugar withdrawals. I _need_ one."

Big panda eyed baby. "Sure. Where do I need to bring it?"

~\..'../~

* * *

Sachi was mesmerized by the extravagant lobby of the expensive hotel. What kind of place has a chandelier in the hallway with the elevators? This one obviously. Boy, would the girls at the bakery be surprised by this! She stared at herself in the reflection of the shiny gold elevator doors. Fluffing up her hair and making kissy faces at herself, she chuckled lightly at her silliness when the doors opened. She pulled out her phone to recheck the room number from the text he had sent her. It was on the very top floor in the corner. After the interminably long elevator ride to the eighth floor, she turned to her right and searched for room eight forty-four. He had sent quite detailed instructions. The door seemed to open on its own after she knocked. She entered the room and froze, momentarily stunned by all of the cops and computer equipment in the hotel room.

"Can you keep a secret?" L asked, grasping her free hand while taking the box with the cake in it out of her other. He handed it to the officer sitting closest to him.

"Well, yeah. You'd be screwed if I couldn't," she said, feeling herself being pulled along by her hand as her eyes goggled at everything in the room.

"Speaking of being screwed, come with me," he ordered, dragging her behind him to the bedroom.

"Hey, wait! What do you think – " Her voice was cut off by the door slamming.

The cops in the room sat in an uncomfortable silence, exchanging questioning glances. What the hell were they supposed to do now? Not only had L brought in some outsider, he had brought her in to satisfy his base sexual needs. Who knew he had those?

The youngest officer, Touta Matsuda, who was also impossibly stupid, got up from his computer and went to the bedroom door. He pressed his ear to the thin faux wood to listen.

"What are you doing you idiot?" exclaimed Shuichi Aizawa, a serious man with a wife and child at home. He was already uncomfortable with this situation and that pervert Matsuda had just pushed it to a whole new level of awkward. He stomped over to the man, grabbing him by the sleeve to pull him away. "Get away from there you pervert!"

"Shhhh!" hissed Matsuda, slapping at his hand to release his jacket. "Listen!"

"I don't want to, you degenerate, and neither should you," his fellow officer admonished him.

"I wanna know what's going on," the brash and thoughtless Hirokazu Ukita said, rushing over to press his ear to the door.

"What's wrong with you people?" Aizawa demanded. He looked over at the stoic Kanzo Mogi who was ignoring them all and typing furiously at his computer. He had been searching for back up from the emotionless and logical man but apparently he wanted no part of it. "Idiots! Morons and fools! I'm surrounded."

Aizawa walked away, reclaiming his seat at his computer. He would let those idiots be caught by the Chief because he was due back at any time.

Matsuda giggled like a school girl from all of the moans and groans coming from behind the door. What he was picturing in his head was quite different from what was really happening.

...

* * *

Sachi struggled against the frail looking man who was disturbingly strong. She flailed her arms in an attempt to free her wrists that he was holding with an iron hard grip. Attempting to kick him, she shrieked when he spun her around and pushed her down on the bed on her belly. She yelled again when he pulled her arms behind her back.

"It hurts!" she shouted. She would have sworn she heard a girlish giggle from the other side of the door, but she was too busy trying to get away from the creep sitting on her back. Those girls at the bakery were right; he was a freak.

"Stop. Just stop. All I want to do is talk to you," he assured her in his soft voice. He seemed completely unflustered by her violent reaction.

"You're not going to rape me?" she asked, feeling him rise from her back. She sat up, rubbing her wrists as she glared at the strange man sitting like a gargoyle again in the middle of the bed. Or maybe he was more like an owl with those big, dark ringed eyes.

"No. Of course not. I'm not interested in you like that," he stated with a slight tone of aversion in his voice.

"You are gay," she accused, smiling wickedly. She yelped and fell on her back onto the comfortable bed when he lunged suddenly to press his lips to hers. Her whole body began to react to the soft, gentle kiss that had an underlying controlled hunger that made her stomach clench.

"I'm not gay," he spoke in an unaffected, calm voice. He sat up and pulled her to a sitting position with her hands held in his. "I need you for other reasons."

"Just how freaky are you?" she queried apprehensively, pressing her body against the headboard to put an extra two inches of distance between them.

"Nonsexual purposes. Toward me anyway," he said, making her feel even more confused. "I want you to pretend to be my girlfriend, but there's someone I need you to seduce."

"Oookay, but why?" She was growing impatient because he was only making more questions pop up in her head with no answers.

"The why doesn't matter. It's a means to an end. Drastic, I'll admit, but necessary. You decide whether you want to have sex with him or not. I just need you to get information from him," he explained after seeing the mystified expression on her face.

"Who? What? Are you serious?" She kept her eyes on him when he jumped off the bed and retrieved a picture from an open briefcase on the dresser.

"Him." He watched her green eyes widen when she looked at the picture.

"_Him?_"

"You know him?"

"Yeah. I was in his class our senior year of high school. He's like **the** unattainable guy. A total iceberg. He never even dated anyone throughout high school. He thought he was too good for every girl. Isn't he dating that actress Misa Misa? I really can't stand her. Who's so dumb they have to say their name twice to remember it?" she remarked with unrelenting sarcasm.

L almost laughed. He liked this girl. She would be perfect. She was soft and delicate on the outside but all teeth and venom on the inside.

"Who are you?" she asked, grabbing a pillow to hold when he moved toward her again.

"My name is L. I'm a detective. I'm investigating the Kira case. Your frigid classmate there is my number one suspect," he explained.

"Just L? And why are you telling me all this? What if I go run my mouth to the press?" she questioned him stubbornly.

"Are you always so exasperating and full of questions?"

"Yes. Are you always so perverted and manipulative? Answer the damn questions."

"Trust me. I'm not worried about you saying anything to anyone. I have ways to make you keep your mouth shut," he replied in a threatening manner but with a smile on his face.

Sachi did not care to put him to the test to find out what he meant. She laid down on the bed, hugging the pillow to her body. What had she gotten herself into? She thought he was just quiet and misunderstood. She also thought he was one of the many harmless Kira devotees since he carried around that folder. Her eyes studied the odd man hunkered down in the middle of the bed as he scrutinized her with just as much curiosity.

"What now?" she asked to end the staring war.

"You can stay here for the night if you like. You're free to leave in the morning. I want you to just go about your daily activities as if nothing is going on. Come back here tomorrow night. Wear something sexy. Light will be here," he informed her.

What made this idiot think Light Yagami would be interested in her? Sachi wondered if the guy even had sexual urges because he was so cold and standoffish. He was also incredibly perfectionistic and self-important. The weirdo on the bed next to her seriously overestimated her. Besides, Light already had a girlfriend, a cute, blond, disgustingly perky actress Misa Misa. How could she compete with that? Her mousy brown hair and dirt brown eyes could barely render a look from any male, so how could she vie with the blond, blue eyed model for the attention of Light Yagami? It would be laughable if it was not such a self-esteem killer. The detective had barked up the wrong tree here.

Sachi closed her eyes and rolled over onto her back. Issuing a noisy sigh of frustration, she tried to relax. What the hell was she doing here? Pushing up on her elbows, she opened her eyes to see that he had moved closer to her and was still staring at her.

"What?" she grumpily inquired.

"You're very pretty. You hold the potential of being beautiful," he commented, edging closer.

"Thanks?" She was not sure if it was a compliment or not.

"Just the right clothes…" he muttered to himself, his eyes moving down her body. He leaned forward onto his knees, grabbing her breasts.

"HEY!" she screamed, slapping at his hands. "Damn pervert!"

"Do you own a push up bra and something low cut? No man, not even Light, can resist staring at a pretty pair of these. Especially if they're displayed nicely," he said matter of factly as if he had just explained the theory of relativity. "Oh, I know. I'll take you shopping tomorrow. I'll help you pick something out. You can model it for me that way I can choose the perfect outfit for you."

"Oh, my god," she groaned, covering her eyes with her hand. "I'm Alice and I've fallen through the rabbit hole. You're a perverted Mad Hatter because you're dirty and CRAZY!"

Sachi grabbed his hands removing them from her breasts because he had not yet done so. She rolled over with her back to him and was immediately assaulted again as he grabbed her behind. Yelping loudly, she jumped to a sitting position with his hands still underneath her. She shoved her elbow backward as he fell forward, making contact with his face that sent a spray of blood from his injured nose.

"Ow," he whined, covering his nose.

Sachi did not know why, but she felt sorry for him. He looked so pitiful and helpless when in pain. She moved off the bed to the bathroom to get a towel and a washcloth. Throwing him the towel, she opened the door and two men fell in at her feet.

"Since you're here, can you be useful and get some ice please?" she requested as the two red faced men scrambled to their feet.

"What happened in there?" Matsuda asked, receiving a slap to the back of the head from Ukita.

"I don't kiss and tell," she responded vaguely with a sensual lilt to her voice. She winked at him and licked her lower lip while eyeing him up and down. A smile tilted her lips when the man grew visibly uncomfortable, pulling at his collar while his blush deepened to a crimson red.

L would have laughed if she had not caved in his face which hurt something awful. He received another confirmation that there was more to this girl than she let on.

Ukita returned with the bucket of ice just in time to save Matsuda before he fainted from embarrassment or excitement.

Sachi closed the door, returning to the bed and the injured L. She dumped a handful ice into the washcloth she was holding and moved the towel to carefully apply the makeshift ice pack to his bloody nose.

"Should I ask next time before I grope you?" L queried, sounding congested from the blood filling his nose.

"Don't you think it would be better to not grope me?" she suggested, taking the bloody towel from him and putting it in the bathroom.

"You're my girlfriend," he informed her.

"I am? Don't I get a say in this matter?"

"No. Not really."

Of course not. Suddenly her life had careened out of control when this loony insomniac got behind the wheel. How did this happen?

"What makes you think I will stay and help you?" she inquired with a victorious expression on her face.

"Because you have a boundless sense of curiosity. You're inquisitive and nosy with a smart mouth and you like a challenge. What could be more challenging than Light Yagami?" he asked, moving the ice pack and wiggling his nose.

Damn. He had her pegged. Not only had he been enjoying cake and oversugared coffee for the last month, he had been surveying her. He was learning about her through her interactions not only with him but with other customers and coworkers. She did indeed want to help him with whatever crazy scheme he had in mind. Not only to cut a hole in Light Yagami's expansive pride but also to see what happens.


	3. Chapter 2

L had kept Sachi up most of the night talking. When she begged him to allow her to get some sleep, he left the room for her to do so. Her wakeup call was a nerve wracking experience that set her on edge first thing and got her day off to a great start. After a somewhat refreshing four hour nap, she roused from her sleep. While in that wonderful, surreal chasm between sleep and wakefulness, her skin began to crawl with that unmistakable sensation of being watched. Opening her eyes, she was faced with two dark hollows on a background of pasty white. A scream escaped her before she realized it was only L sitting beside the bed staring at her nearly eye to eye.

"Dammit, L," she growled, hitting him with a pillow. She felt it being snatched out of her hand then received a smack with it herself. "It's too early for this crap. Can you go be weird somewhere else?"

"But I like being weird with you," he responded sincerely.

"Awww," she cooed, rolling over and pulling the covers over her head. "Now get out."

"Don't you have to be at work at six? It's five thirty," he informed her, moving back when she threw off the covers and sprang out of the bed.

"God! I have to get home and get a shower!" she exclaimed with huge eyes full of panic. She kissed him on the cheek and ran for the door. "See ya later, _boyfriend_!"

~\..'../~

* * *

"Hey! What's wrong with you today?" Ai, the beanpole with eyes and teeth, inquired in her irritating high pitched voice.

They had just completed the lunch rush and Sachi was cleaning up the table in back. She was putting away all of the remaining ingredients for preparing salads and sandwiches while attempting to ignore Ai. She thought she had succeeded until she closed the refrigerator door and the wraith was standing there with a fierce look on her face.

"Oh, god, you scared me!" Sachi exclaimed, pressing her hand over her heart. Her mind had been elsewhere thinking about an unusual man she had left in a hotel room. "I'm just tired. That's all."

"Oh? Did you stay out late with that freak? I know you were going to see him. You wouldn't buy that whole cake otherwise," she snapped pointedly.

Sachi hated being the underling of someone younger than her. Nosey brat. Since when did Ai check the receipts that carefully when she was going over the day's register reconciliation.

"Why do you care Ai? You're my manager. Not my mom," she retorted, going to the sink to retrieve a soapy washcloth to wipe the prep table.

"I don't. Trust me. I just think it's funny," she stated derisively, releasing a nasally, insincere laugh. "I guess the old saying is true. Birds of a feather really do flock together. Or in your case, one freak flocks to another freak."

Sachi stopped wiping the counter, emitting a noisy sigh that almost sounded like a low rumbling growl. She prayed for the ability to keep her mouth shut but unfortunately some miracles do not happen.

"Well, if that's true, Ai, you must have a really bitchy boyfriend," she retorted, pushing past the speechless girl. She made sure to give her a hard shoulder bump on the way out. "It's two. My shift is over. I'm getting the flock out of here."

~\..'../~

* * *

"Are you serious?" Sachi asked too tired to even add an indignant tone. She looked at the young officer with the goofy grin on his face holding the video camera.

"Yes. I'll stay here and Matsuda will have the camera on you. The video will be streaming straight to my computer. Keep in mind that there's a fifty percent lag time due to it being a wireless feed," L explained, watching her cautiously as she stared at the nervous Matsuda.

"I don't do percentages. Give me seconds or minutes," she insisted, moving her eyes from the blushing man who refused to make eye contact. Whatever he was thinking happened in that room last night did not happen.

"Thirty seconds," L replied quickly.

"Thank you. Well, I guess I'm ready. What's your name again?" she asked the cute blushing cop.

"Touta Matsuda," he answered, finally making eye contact with her which made his blush darken.

"Here," L said, holding out a credit card to her with the very tips of his fingers. "You'll need this."

"Thanks, dear," she returned, kissing him on the cheek. This show of affection to the detective who preferred not to be touched elicited a collective gasp from everyone in the room. "All right. Well, let's go, Touta," she said gamely, putting her arm through his.

"Be careful. And don't spend too much. There's a twenty thousand dollar limit on that card," he notified her casually as if he had just said two thousand dollars.

Sachi winced and froze in her tracks. Slowly turning to look at L with a stunned expression on her face she repeated the amount to clarify it. "Twenty thousand dollars?"

"Yes. Do you need more? I've got another – " He opened his wallet that was laying on the desk.

"Oh, no, this will be fine," she assured him. Suddenly she could not get out of the door fast enough.

...

Sachi stared at the pile of outfits that was nearly as tall as her. She dropped down to sit on the shelf that served as a seat in the changing room. So far he had refused everything that she had tried on. The clothing styles ranged from street walker to granny yet nothing had suited his tastes so far.

"Hey! He's wondering when you're coming out with the next outfit on," Touta told her from the small waiting area outside of the dressing rooms.

"This is ridiculous," she muttered, opening the door and rushing into the waiting area in nothing but her bra and panties.

"Whoa!" Touta exclaimed nearly fainting but not so out of touch with his senses that he forgot to turn the camera on.

"Dammit, Hideki!" she griped, making sure to use L's fake name. It was also the same name on the credit card. "I'm tired. I wanted to get a nap before tonight."

Sachi counted down for the time lapse waiting on his retort.

"That's nice but it definitely won't do," L's voice came over speaker on the phone sitting on the table. "Shouldn't your bra and panties match?"

"That's not funny," she snapped. "The next thing I try on is what I'm buying whether you like it or not."

Sachi returned to the dressing room, sliding into the red silk dress that comfortably hugged her curves without being too tight. Her breasts were 'displayed nicely' as L had described it in their discussion from last night. She rechecked her reflection and walked out of the room.

"How's this?" she asked, turning around slowly.

"I like it," Matsuda piped up with an approving smile but no blush for once.

"That's a good one. Find about five more garments something like that one. No pants. I want you feminine and pretty. You're already one of those," he stated with thinly veiled sarcasm in his voice.

Sachi dared not ask which one. Her self-esteem and her small sense of pride was already wounded. After changing into her clothes, she walked around with Matsuda in tow while she picked out the rest of her wardrobe like she had been instructed.

"You might want to stay here," she advised him once she had tried on everything and made her final selections.

"But I'm supposed to stay right with you. It's L's orders," he protested, gathering up everything she planned to purchase.

"Okay," she sighed in resignation. "But you're gonna look like a pervert strolling through the women's lingerie section."

"You're right," he admitted, setting everything back down. "I should stay here."

"Give me twenty minutes and we will be headed back to the hotel."

...

Sachi was able to fit in a quick catnap between the shopping trip and having to get ready for dinner with Light and Misa Misa. She had just wiggled into the dress when L entered the room. They silently stared at each other for a long moment before L spoke.

"I just wanted to see if you needed help with anything," he said, turning to leave. He was a bit suprised he had not received a scathing admonition or physical violence for forgetting to knock.

"Actually…" she stated hurriedly to stop his departure. She turned her back to him asking, "Could you zip this? It would be easier than me practicing my contortionist skills."

"Sure," he rejoined quietly, walking to her soundlessly over the carpet with his bare feet.

Sachi bit her lower lip as she felt his soft cool fingers graze her lower back when he reached to grasp the zipper. She hoped he could not feel her trembling as he slowly pulled up the zipper. Her breath would catch each time his fingertips 'accidently' brushed across her back. She gasped when she felt him lean forward, pressing his body to her back with his lips beside her ear. Her eyes moved to the mirror in front of them to gaze at him in their reflection.

"See. I told you that you could be beautiful," he murmured, his breath flowing across her neck and raising goose bumps.

Sachi's eyes did not move from him. She believed him and did not need to look at herself. Her hair and makeup had been done by a professional stylist in the salon of the hotel. She had the gorgeous new dress and red high heels to match. She _felt_ beautiful - especially because of the way he was looking at her. It was not a pervie or lascivious gaze. It was one of sincere rapt attention; like that of a man who is genuinely in love with a woman. Clearing her throat to break the spell of intimacy, she tried to turn to walk away but he held her still with his arms around her in a bear hug. Her eyes met his in the mirror and she forced herself not to chew on her perfectly painted lips that were exact same shade of red as her dress. For the first time, she noticed the purple rings that outlined the black ones under his eyes. The purple marks grew increasingly darker as they spread toward his nose.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, after seeing the bruises she had caused by elbowing him in the nose. "I didn't mean to – "

"It's all right. I deserved it. I can be quite socially inept sometimes. I need someone like you to teach me," he murmured, his lips grazing her cheek as he spoke.

Sachi gasped from his lips contacting her skin when he purposely puckered and kissed her cheek.

"Was that acceptable?" he inquired, doing it again.

"Y-yes," she stammered. "L, shouldn't we – "

"Ryuuzaki! Have you already ordered – " Light stopped speaking immediately when he saw the couple locked in the passionate embrace. He gaped momentarily before quickly recovering and returning to his stoic expression of indifference. "I apologize. I did not know you had a girl in here. Have you ordered room service yet or were you waiting for us?"

As if on cue, a squeaky, blond, and cute girl bounced into the room wearing a huge grin and a getup reminiscent of a Gothic rag doll. With her signature ponytails tied in big black lace bows with skulls in the middle, she was a living parody of a child's toy. "Hiiiii! Oooooh! Ryuuzaki, what have you got there? A girl? OMIGOSH!"

Sachi wanted to plug her ears from the fangirl squeal released by Misa Misa. Wasn't the dimwitted blonde the star here? She was immediately ripped from L/Hideki/ Ryuuzaki's arms and pulled into the ample chest of the disgustingly perky Misa Misa for a hug. Sachi decided to stick to nondescript nicknames when referring to L such as honey, darling, or dear. Being his girlfriend after all, it was perfectly suitable and almost necessary to call him one of those terms of endearment.

"What's her name?" Misa Misa asked as if Sachi were deaf and mute.

"Her name is Rose," L lied like the professional he was. "She is beautiful and smells sweet but she can be very thorny at times."

The creepy smirk of a true pervert tilted L's lips and Sachi kicked him in the shin with a high heel clad foot.

"Ow!" he exclaimed, hopping around on one leg while rubbing his sore shin. "See what I mean."

'I hate you right now,' she mouthed to him silently before turning to Light to shake his hand after the introduction. She seriously doubted he would recognize her because like every other girl at the school she had been invisible and nonexistent in his world. He existed among the people but was not one of them. He had always made that quite apparent from how he dressed to his aloof, cold facial expressions. Nothing had changed apparently as far as his style of dress. Khaki slacks, a white button down shirt with a red tie, and a navy blue jacket were his idea of casual dress apparently. He had never looked at anyone, just straight through them. Until now.

Sachi found herself gazing directly into his deep brown eyes feeling as if she had somehow warranted the attention of a god. She felt the heat of a blush flow across her cheeks and it angered her. Why was she reacting like a lovesick teenager who had been acknowledged by her favorite pop idol? If she could have slapped herself out of it, she would have. Mentally shaking herself to get a grip on her girlish crush reaction, she smiled winningly which shockingly enough he returned.

"Nice to meet you, Rose," he said politely and formally, squeezing her hand slightly. "You seem familiar for some reason."


	4. Chapter 3

"Oh? I'm sure you've seen me where I work. I work at Tomori Bakery," Sachi informed him, thinking there must be something on her cheek since his eyes never left her face. She immediately reached up and swiped at it, remembering the icing incident with L. The memory prompted a light blush to stain her cheeks.

"Yes, that has to be it. That explains how you met our friend here," Light said in his jaded way, jerking his head toward L who was busy talking with Misa Misa.

L was perched on the couch in his usual odd way and Misa Misa was sitting close to him, so close their heads were almost touching. L said something and his blonde companion laughed like a hyena. Who knew he could tell jokes?

Light regarded them with an expressionless face then turned his gaze back to Sachi. "Would you like to take a walk?"

"What about them?" she asked, turning her head to see those two were lost in a world of their own. She could only imagine what a strange place that must be.

"Do you think they will notice?"

They both studied to two bizarre human beings on the couch and decided they would never be missed. Light held out his arm as if he were escorting her to a formal ball. Sliding her arm through his, Sachi permitted him to lead her out of the room.

"Where are you two going?" Matsuda inquired with a quirked eyebrow when Light opened the door.

"We're going for a walk," he patiently informed the inquisitive officer who was just doing his job. "I'm sure you can watch us on the hotel's surveillance cameras. You know your system is linked in right?"

"Of course I do," the officer replied, sliding his chair over to his keyboard. Typing furiously, the screen immediately changed into sixteen separate camera shots. The rest of the camera shots popped up on a big screen on the wall opposite him.

"Wow! This is truly amazing," she sighed in wonderment, looking at the screens. This gave invasion of privacy a new meaning. Her eyes lit on a shot that was very familiar. Gulping loudly, she realized she was looking at the room she had slept in the night before. Her eyes raced across the screen and she realized there were other screen shots of rooms and bedrooms.

"Those are our rooms. Mine and Misa's," Light explained when he saw her staring in wide-eyed shock at them. "Don't worry. He shuts those off at night."

"So you're under surveillance?"

"Yes. You didn't know?"

"Well, no. We just started dating."

"Come on," he said, pulling her toward the door. "Tell me all about how that disaster started."

Light led her to the roof as Sachi explained how L frequented the bakery and became her favorite customer. She told him about the icing incident that led up to him asking for her phone number then his request for the cake that led her here.

"I have to admit, he found a very unique way to get me into his bed on the first night," she giggled lightly. Realizing how sexually blatant that sounded, she blushed deeply staring at her red satin pumps. She walked toward the edge of the building overlooking the city.

"The view is great from up here. Everything looks so beautiful. You can't see all the bad things. You can't see all the dirt and filth. That includes the human kind too," she added, laying her palms flat on the smooth cement wall edging the top of the building. She was not sure where Light was standing until she could feel his body heat radiating to her. He was located just to her left, close enough that if she swayed slightly she would touch him. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him taking in the same awe inspiring display of city lights as her.

"So what do you think about the weird and wonderful Ryuuzaki?" he queried, taking one step closer to her.

Sachi giggled lightly accidentally bumping him when she moved. She felt her heart begin to race when he reached out to touch her bare arm. Leaning forward to pull away from his touch, she pretended to be searching for a better angle from which to admire the view.

"I like him. He's quite strange and sometimes a little frightening, but I think he's a really good guy," she said, feeling very protective of L suddenly.

Sachi whirled around, feeling quite aggravated and put out with Mr. Perfection. She inhaled audibly with surprise because Light was close enough to her that if she breathed hard her breasts would graze his body.

"I recognize you now. You were the girl in the back of my senior class who always fell asleep during class lectures. You still made high marks and everyone hated you for it. I hated you for it," he remarked vehemently.

Sachi's heart leapt to her throat choking her. He was absolutely right; she was that girl. She was the one person in their senior class who had been smart enough to give Light Yagami something of an intellectual challenge. If only she had cared. Instead, she had made the conscious decision to rebel against formal education and standards. She had purposely hemmed her skirts two inches too short and wore her shirts a size too small so the buttons between her breasts would gape open. Her body was a distraction to male students and teachers alike. She had even been accused of giving sexual favors to the male teachers to earn good grades. That was not the case at all. The things that had made her successful in school and enabled her to get high marks were her incredible memory including an impeccable photographic memory. Obviously Light's memory was pretty damn good as well.

"So what if I am? Maybe I didn't want Ryuuzaki to know I'm a super nerd like you," she snapped, edging from between him and the wall.

"Super nerd? Don't you know he's one too?" he rejoined, following her.

"Snappy comeback there, Poindexter. Yes, but unlike you, he has a personality," she retorted, walking to the other side of the roof to see what the view was like there. Hearing his footsteps behind her, she realized there was still too much Light over here as well.

"Personality? Is that what you call his brand of insanity?" he asked her with an unmistakable tone of annoyance.

Sachi grinned evilly. She was getting a rise out of the usually unflappable and passive handsome genius. She turned around to face him with a sardonic smirk.

"It's better than your short-sighted, self-centered, egotism. What is it like, Light? Being stuck here with us mere mortals. It must be awful for you," she stated with mocking pity, folding her arms under her breasts to glare at him.

"No wonder you two get along so well. You're just as crazy as he is," he countered, raising his voice slightly.

"Hey! Sweetheart! The food has arrived!" L yelled from the roof door. "I took the liberty of ordering for you. I hope you like it."

"Oh, man," Light grumbled wondering what gastrointestinal nightmare awaited him.

L had actually done very well with his choice of entrees. He had ordered steak sandwiches and fries for everyone.

Misa Misa ate about a third of her sandwich and none of her fries since she was watching her figure. She was a model and actress after all.

Sachi could not have cared less about her figure. She worked in a bakery for god's sake. She had made her peace with calories a long time ago. Both men watched in gaping awe as she finished off her food then began picking off of Misa's plate. After eating half of the beauty queen's food, she grabbed her beer and strolled out to the balcony, kicking off her shoes on the way.

"Ryuuzaki, you've found your perfect match," Light commented, eyeing the woman standing at the bannister.

Sachi sighed with satisfaction. She was quite content at this moment. Her head was buzzing nicely from her third beer that she was nursing to savor the experience. Her body flinched when she felt a hand gently rest on the swell of her hip then glide up the curve to her waist. She inhaled sharply when goose bumps erupted all over her body from the fingers grazing the side of her breast as he continued his uphill slide on her body. 'Boy, L is really taking advantage of this girlfriend thing by almost feeling me up,' she thought to herself.

"Oh, honey , we have guests. Can you wait?" she mumbled, turning to see Light standing there. She screamed and dropped her beer, the cold foamy liquid washing over her toes when the glass shattered. "LIGHT! What the hell are you doing?"

"I just wanted to see what kind of reaction I could get out of you if I took you by surprise. That was really good," he chuckled ever so slightly. He moved toward her, hefting her up into his arms to keep her from cutting her bare feet on the glass. "For you to eat so much, you're not terribly heavy."

"For you to be so gorgeous you sure are an asshole," she bit back, pushing against his chest when they were safely inside the room and away from the glass on the balcony. Had it not occurred to him that she could have simply stepped around the dangerous shards?

"You think I'm gorgeous," he stated in an accusatory tone, dropping her on the couch. He could not keep the self-satisfied smirk from his lips when she landed with a yelp.

"And an asshole," she added, standing up quickly to pull her skirt down that had ridden up to her hips.

"Nice panties. They're even red like your dress," he commented, watching her face turn the same color as well.

"You've been spending too much time with the resident perv. He's wearing off on you." Her searching eyes found L sitting on the couch with Misa. They were looking at one of her latest photo spreads in a fashion magazine.

"Maybe I'm just showing my personality." The lopsided grin on Light's face gave him a rakish appearance making him seem even more inviting in addition to already being drop dead gorgeous.

Damn. Life had a way of being really unfair sometimes. Brains, looks, and deceptively manipulative – Light Yagami was a triple threat.

"How did you and Misa meet?" Sachi inquired, sitting down on the couch and folding her legs underneath her. She scooted away when he sat down next to her.

"She actually searched for me. She showed up at my door one night," he answered truthfully with a conceited grin.

"Seriously?" she snorted derisively, rolling her eyes.

"You don't like me do you?" He leaned toward her because he enjoyed making her uncomfortable.

"No. I don't. But I do like him." She gazed at L in what she hoped was an amorous manner, although the only thing she longed to do to him was bite him and not in a romantic sense. She had no idea he was on such friendly terms with the bubbly and adorable model.

"Hmmmm…you're a very interesting person, _Rose_," Light said pointedly. He knew who she was but he could not remember her real name. He had never bothered to pay attention to the stupid giggly girls at school. The only reason she had garnered even a speck of attention from him was because her name was always below his when their grades were listed in order of highest to lowest. And she snored with disturbing volume during class. No one could ignore that.

"Light, my darling, I'm tired," Misa whined, putting on a pouty face to get Light moving.

"Well, go to your room," he returned callously.

Asshole. Sachi got up from the couch pretending to stretch and yawn. "I'm pretty tired myself. I think I'll go to bed as well. Misa, it was wonderful meeting you."

Misa Misa bounced her way and she resisted the temptation to run for her room to avoid the crushing hug. For the woman to be stick thin, she had surprising strength.

Sachi wished she knew why the girl had this irrepressible need to hug her. She assumed Misa Misa must need a friend. Glancing at Light briefly, she questioned how it could be so lonely at the top for them, especially when they had each other. She moved toward L who was still sitting on the couch. Bending to kiss his cheek, she found herself kissing his lips when he turned his head at the last second.

"Good night, dear," he said, reaching out to caress her cheek lovingly.

"Good night," she responded, walking toward the bedroom with her heart pounding in her ears as her pulse climbed. He was pushing the limits here.


	5. Chapter 4

Sachi tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She should have been able to ease right into Dreamland because she was so tired. Perhaps too tired. Grumbling to herself, she got out of the bed, retrieving one of the thick white terrycloth robes from the bathroom to put on over her new red silk nightgown. She knew L would be awake but she did not expect any of the other police officers to be awake. Two other men were sitting in the control room working at their computers. One she had not seen yet. He must be the Chief.

"Oh, so this is the lovely lady I've heard so much about," he said, standing up to greet her. "I'm Soichiro Yagami. You're Sachi Tokuguchi?"

"Yes, sir. Pleased to meet you," she responded, shaking his hand and bowing slightly. "Yagami? Are you Light Yagami's father?"

"Yes, I am," he answered abruptly.

What the hell is going on here? Sachi was getting more confused as time went on. She was beginning to wish the dark haired, panda eyed genius had never walked into her workplace.

"Do you know what you've gotten yourself into here, Miss?" he inquired in a fatherly manner.

"No, sir. I assure you that I don't," she replied honestly. "I thought I was going out on a date with a fascinating man and that was it. I never meant to get into anything."

"L, why don't you take care of your girl here?" the Chief suggested before returning to his chair.

_Your girl_. Interesting choice of words. Sachi sat down beside L who was mesmerized by something on his computer screen. She questioned if he had heard Mr. Yagami at all. Laying her head on his arm barely captured his attention either.

"What's wrong?" he inquired distractedly, pressing a few buttons on the computer keyboard. He typed as if he were afraid the keyboard would bite him. With a forefinger carefully poised in a straight down position he jabbed the keys in a singular, decisive fashion.

"Honey, you're so weird," she snorted, stifling a giggle as she watched him.

"You've told me that before. You don't have to call me honey. There's no one we have to put on a show for here," he reminded her.

Sachi felt like a balloon that had been popped. As the air escaped her ego, she remembered that their relationship was nothing but an act. She had gotten too caught up in the whole pretense of being girlfriend/boyfriend over the course of the evening. Fatigue was also preventing her from keeping her grip on reality as well.

"I like calling you honey. You're sweet. We're friends at least, right?" she asked, looking at him as he chewed on his thumb and read the words on the computer screen.

"Of course. I wouldn't lick the face of a girl I didn't like. Want me to do it again to prove it?" he inquired, shifting her off his arm. He grabbed her face in his soft hands and leaned toward her.

"No!" she screeched as he stuck out his tongue. Dissolving into giggles, she wiped her cheek as if he had licked her when he let her go. "I believe you when you say you like me."

L stood up, taking her by the hand. "Come on, you need sleep. I'll tuck you in."

"Mmmm," she rumbled deep in her throat. She was in fact exhausted. "Lead on, Quasimodo. Put me to bed."

Sachi took off the robe laying it at the end of the bed. She had completely forgotten she was wearing nothing but the barely there short gown. Too tired to notice his stunned reaction, she simply got into the bed and began pulling at the tangled sheets and comforter in an attempt to cover herself. She lay back on her pillow when he wordlessly took the fabric out of her hands. Her eyes remained on his face as she watched him patiently straighten out the sheet then lay it over her. Next came the comforter which he literally did tuck under her side. She grabbed his hand when he was about to leave. Biting her lip nervously, she remained silent as he stared at their hands that were clasped together before moving his eyes to hers.

"Will you stay with me? Until I'm asleep?" she added to make sure he understood she was not hinting at anything physical.

"Sure," he responded with a blank expression.

"Light recognized me. He remembered me from school," she told him.

It had not seemed to effect Light really that he had recognized her, but it bothered her. She pondered if this would throw a kink in their plans. Maybe it would help. Who the hell knows? This whole thing was a bad idea but somehow she knew that L would not take an uncalculated risk. She heard him spout off endless percentages and facts so there was some kind of method behind his madness especially when dealing with the unpredictability of humans. She trusted there was anyway.

"Everything will be fine. It is possible that his remembering you will work out to our advantage. I took this into account as a premeditated possibility. There's a sixty-four percent chance that you piqued his curiosity which will actually make him more interested in getting to know you. The fact that he completely passed you over and barely acknowledged your existence in high school might also stir up a sense of guilt that will prompt him to learn about you," he stated with clinical indifference.

L was a real self-esteem builder reminding her of the emotional horror that was Light Yagami. It was a given that by the time this screwed up situation was over all of her self-confidence problems would be worked out. A relationship with L was better than visits to a therapist to fix self-image issues.

"The first probability is our only hope. Light is incapable of feeling guilt or remorse. You should know that. He always has been. I watched him stomp on people's self-esteem and crush the hearts of lovesick girls for years. I always stayed as far away from him as possible. I never knew he hated me until tonight, " she mumbled drowsily. She yawned, covering her mouth with her hand. Pushing the comforter down, she lay her arm on top of it which revealed her body to below her breasts.

"By the way, I really like this," L said, sliding his finger under the tiny spaghetti strap of her nightgown. "What else did I buy you?"

"Don't worry. You'll see it all eventually." She yawned again, feeling very relaxed and sleepy now. Closing her eyes, she turned onto her side and snuggled into her pillow.

"_All_?" he inquired leering down at her. He knew she had bought new underwear and bras.

Sachi opened one eye to look at him. She raised her hand to brush her fingers over his pale cheek. "Well, that would be up to you, wouldn't it?"

"I suppose so. You need sleep. You're talking like a crazy person."

"It must be catching. It's your fault."

~\..'../~

* * *

Sachi was awakened the next morning by a room service tray being wheeled into the room. She rolled over, pulling the covers over her head.

"Good morning, my beautiful flower," an unexpected voice declared.

"Damn," she muttered, throwing back the covers to see Light standing there with a single red rose held out to her. L was right; she had ignited his curiosity and he was compelled to sate it. "I'll be damned."

"You certainly will be with a mouth like yours," he rejoined, sitting on the bed beside her.

"Why are you here?" she inquired, covering herself back up. She had forgotten she was wearing the skimpy gown. She pulled the covers to her chin. Surprisingly enough, his eyes remained on her face.

"Your tray was delivered to my room by a disturbingly inept room service employee. Therefore, I thought I would help us both out and bring it to you," he explained like the pompous prick he is.

"Thank you," she returned, forcing herself to be nice.

"You're welcome. This is yours," he said, laying the rose on the pillow. He smiled then stood up. He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his khaki pants and walked out of the room.

Sachi stared at his taut round behind as he departed. It was always better to see him leaving a room than entering for several reasons. Lying back down, she turned her back to the door. She settled back into the bed closing her eyes. Her head ached this morning. Whether it was from the few beers or lack of sleep she was not sure. Or maybe she had gotten herself in too deep and did not know how to get out. This was going to be harder and more unpleasant than she thought.

Sachi heard the door open and close but did not hear anything after that. It was obvious L was in the room by the lack of sound alone. The bed shifted under her when he sat down.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I'm just tired," she answered weakly.

"I did not make a mistake by choosing you. I don't make mistakes," he declared resolutely, not moving from the bed.

Sachi could hear him helping himself to the food that was supposed to be hers. She did not mind. She knew he was trolling for sweets, and she was not hungry anyway.

"You really should eat something. I'm sure your glucose levels are down and your body, especially your brain, will not be working at optimum levels. Come on," L said, pushing back the covers and tapping her on the shoulder.

"I will. Later," she assured him. She just wanted to go back to sleep. His bony finger poked her again, and she rolled her shoulder with a grunt of annoyance.

Every muscle in her body contracted when she felt his fingers drift over her bare back. They left an unmistakable tingle on her skin, and she was sure her back resembled the flesh of a freshly plucked chicken. Trying not to react but failing, she squirmed and moaned. Her protective layer of bed coverings was pushing lower, revealing her backside down to her thighs. Curious as to what he would do next, she lay still. He was right; curiosity was a powerful motivator for people. She bit her lip as his smooth fingertips glided down her spine over the silky fabric of her gown. Down, down, down his fingers wandered until they lost contact at her lower back. Just as she had grown comfortable with the assurance he would not do a thing, a stinging slap was delivered to her behind.

"Ow!" she screamed, shooting straight up to a sitting position. She rolled onto her hip, rubbing her sore butt cheek. Tears formed in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall to maintain a shred of dignity. "Damn you, L. That really hurt."

"I'm sorry," he said, seeing the tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. He leaned forward, kissing her on the nose.

"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" she pouted, still massaging her injured behind. That really hurt! Deceptively strong little –

"Want me to help?" he asked, reaching for her butt.

"NO!" she bellowed at the top of her lungs. Her volume and ferocity startled them both. Clearing her throat, she repeated at a much lower volume, "No. You've done quite enough thanks."

"Want me to kiss it and make it better?" he inquired, his intense black eyes boring into her shock widened brown ones.

Sachi was shocked by the statement spoken with so much sincerity it was hard to tell if he was joking. A bubble of giggles crept up her throat and rolled toward her lips. In a futile attempt to stop it, she snorted like a pig which made him smile. She gave in to the laughter, laughing until she literally cried with the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"You should have taken me up on the offer. It will be the only time I ever ask to kiss your ass."

"Oh? Is that so? Aren't there other things you would like to kiss?"

Sachi chewed on her lip as she watched his eyes move to her lips before sliding downward to her breasts. She felt her body trembling when his serious dark eyes flickered back up to hers momentarily and meandered down once more. He paused to peruse her pouty pink lips, then her breasts, and on down they went past her belly.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, kicking him in the butt gently and playfully. "Stop that!"

"You asked."

"You're a manipulator L. Just like Light."

Sachi pressed herself into the headboard when he was suddenly in her face, hovering over her body on all fours. Damn he could move fast. She closed her eyes to keep them from crossing because he was nose to nose with her. His warm breath puffed across her lips, making them prickle with that uncomfortable pins and needles sensation. Yearning - the intense desire awakened and grew within her with such intensity it made her breath come in ragged gasps. For him? She gasped, wincing as if she had been stung when his fingers touched her face with a feather light pressure.

"Don't tell me that you don't like playing games with people. You're playing one right now," L whispered, leaning close enough that his lips would brush hers the next time he spoke. "I told you I chose the right person."

Sachi opened her eyes when his presence swiftly withdrew from her. She watched him shuffle out the door with his humped back to her. What if she meant it? What if she was interested in him? Would he even know or pass it off as some scheme with ulterior motives? And what if she was just losing her mind...


	6. Chapter 5

Who is on a date with whom tonight? Light was standing next to Sachi while they watched L win the third giant stuffed animal tonight for Misa Misa. Being a genius who could solve mathematical calculations instantly in his head helped him beat the rigged carnival games by using physics equations.

"Ooooh, how about that one? I want that one, Ryuuzaki!" the blonde squealed, pointing at the three foot tall Panda at the next booth. "Pulllleeeze! Pretty, pretty, pretty, please!"

Far be it from L to resist a whine like that. Misa needed a little cheese with that whine to make it a full snack.

Sachi and Light released a noisy sigh of aggravation at the same time. They looked at each other and smiled. They finally agreed on something: being here with the 'kids' was tiresome and they would rather be somewhere else – anywhere else. Having no choice but to follow their dates to the next game booth, they slowly trudged after them.

"Are you thirsty? I'll go buy us a soda," Light offered.

"Sure. That would be great," she happily accepted.

"You stay here and watch the children. I'll be right back."

"Okay." She chuckled lightly, watching him walk away. She loved to do that. His face might be handsome but his backside was great too.

Sachi blushed darkly because of the thoughts that ran through her head. She wondered what lay beneath that black sweater he was wearing. What would that tight little ass of his feel like in her hands? L was causing way too much sexual tension to build up in her by flirting with her so mercilessly. It was beginning to wear on her nerves and her body. Her eyes focused on his gorgeous face as Light strode back toward her. She resisted the overpowering urge to reach up and brush his long brown bangs away from his eyes. She would press a kiss to his forehead, his cheeks, his…oh god. Lust had made her a monster. She was even looking at a monster as something she desired. Shaking her head to come to her senses, she reached for the drink he held out for her. Her fingers brushed across his and her body reacted as if she touched a live electrical wire.

"Are you all right?" Light inquired, reaching out to tuck a loose curl behind her ear.

"I'm all right," she answered, pulling the band out of her hair to allow her curls to fall down around her shoulders. Most of them had slipped loose anyway. Her hair was hopelessly unmanageable.

"You're so beautiful. Why do you try to hide it?" he asked, taking a handful of her curls in his hand to fluff them up a bit.

"I don't know. Sometimes we don't know what resides within us until someone draws it out," she said, looking into his deep brown eyes.

"Sachi, I –"

"Light, Light, Light, Light!" Misa Misa chanted as if she were his personal cheerleading squad. She ran to her boyfriend and tried to hug him but could not because of all of her oversized prizes in her arms that were won by L.

Damn how annoying can one person be? Sachi clamped onto her straw with her teeth, chewing it as she walked toward L. She jumped when he draped his arm over her shoulders.

"How's it going?" he asked her.

Both of them had their eyes on Light and Misa Misa as the two interacted. Misa was babbling excitedly about something, waving her arms and jumping around. Light was enduring the one woman show with an expression of bored indifference while he held the stuffed animals for her.

"It's going. I'm so bored. He's such a stick in the mud," Sachi complained.

"Well, loosen him up. You're good at getting people to do things they normally wouldn't do. Suck it up, Missy. Get out there and fight," he said, slapping her on the ass if she were a boxer about to enter the ring.

"You like doing that a little too much," she snapped, glaring at him.

"You've got a nice ass. I can't help it. Want me to –" He lay his hand on her behind and massaged it gently.

Sachi felt a hunger stir between her legs from his slow sensuous caressing of her behind. "No. No, I don't," she muttered, turning toward him so his hand would fall away from her butt. She whimpered when he rested it on the swell of her hip instead. Her breathe halted from the unforeseen kiss he pressed to her lips.

"They were watching us," he mumbled against her lips.

"Oh, I see." She was thankful he did not make the kiss last too long and kept his tongue in his own mouth. Just the contact of his mouth against hers was making her sweat from arousal. She anxiously pushed her hair behind her ears avoiding eye contact with Light as he and Misa walked toward them.

"Ryuuzaki! Come play some more games for me!" Misa Misa shrilled enthusiastically, grabbing his hand.

Alone again with Mr. Congeniality, Sachi sighed sadly. Light was stunning to look at but not much lay beneath the surface except and frozen, inflexible perfectionist who seemed to be allergic to fun. L's words echoed in her head which prompted her to seize him by the hand.

"Come on. I'm tired of standing here. Let's go ride some of the rides," she suggested dragging the unwilling man behind her. He must be accustomed to this treatment because Misa seemed to be in the habit of lugging her men around.

"I don't want to," he protested, pulling back against her.

"Oh, don't be so stubborn. A little fun won't kill you," she argued, pulling on him harder.

"This isn't my idea of fun." He jerked his hand out of hers, nearly causing her to fall.

"What is your idea of fun?" This was an answer she was extremely interested in hearing.

"Well…"

Just what she thought. He did not have any idea what to do to have fun. "So what are we supposed to do? Just stand here and stare at each other all night."

"I don't know. The view's not so bad," he returned, giving her a thousand watt smile.

Ooooh, good one. That was an awesome line. Sachi was no longer in the mood for his brand of bullshit. She was bored and sexually frustrated which was not a good combination when alone with a handsome man. Did he even have sex? She honestly could not imagine the frigid Light Yagami indulging in such a filthy, sordid activity. What the hell had L been thinking?

Sachi glanced around searching for a suitable ride for them to go on. She rubbed her hands down her slim body hugging black skirt. Damn L; a pair of jeans would have been nice to have at this moment. She had come to the conclusion that she must have really great legs since L wanted her to show them off. Her legs were not the only asset of hers he liked a lot. With limited options due to her outfit, she looked around desperately for something they could ride. Her eyes landed on a horrendous hot pink sign with an even more horrible cartoon of a couple kissing with hearts in their eyes. Tunel o' Luv the sign declared in foot high red letters. Holy crap someone was a terrible speller.

"I found just the thing for us." In a burst of sadomasochistic motivated inspiration, she pulled him to the ride that would surely be a sensory nightmare for the both of them.

"You're kidding right?" His pretty face twisted with revulsion as he glowered at the couple in front of them in line already engaged in a kiss that should have been saved for the ride.

"Oh, Light where's your sense of adventure?" She pawed the sweater feeling his hard pectoral underneath. She gritted her teeth and gulped as her body had an immediate chemical reaction called sexual attraction. Cursing herself for feeling like an animal in heat, she forced a smile to her face as she leaned against his side.

"I don't have a sense of adventure."

"Or humor. But I'm not holding that against you am I?"

"No. But your body is a different story now isn't it?" he inquired, sliding her a sidelong glance complete with a conceited smirk.

Sachi grabbed his elbow and linked her arm through his. He appeared quite pleased with himself that she could not keep her hands off of him. Not only had he not been offended or disgusted by her closeness, he had gave the impression of liking it. When it was their turn, Light got in the swan shaped boat first then reached back for her, offering his hand to her with a bow like Prince Charming. 'Such a lovely actor,' she thought to herself, gingerly taking his outstretched hand. The ride attendant purposely rocked the boat, throwing her forward. With a short shriek, she fell into Light who held her securely against his chest while preventing them both from falling overboard into the murky water.

"Have fun you two!" the burly man ground out around the big fat cigar in his mouth.

Sachi settled into the plastic seat next to Light with her body pressed to his side. It was difficult to keep her smile soft and pleasant instead of breaking into a wide, silly grin when his arm lay comfortably across her shoulders as if it belonged there. No cheesy yawn and stretch pretext for the fabulous Light Yagami. If he wanted something, he went for it. Self-confidence was king and so was he.

Her insane giggling began as they were bombarded with some of the tackiest and most cliché romance icons known to man. Pink and red reigned in the bicolored landscape filled with cupids holding bows armed with arrows, hearts galore, and soft fuzzy teddy bears. The giggling gave way to guffaws when she saw that someone had gotten inventive with the decorating and rearranged the stuffed animals into various sexual positions.

"Hey! Look at that one," she chuckled elbowing him in the side to look at the white and brown teddy bears in the corner. The brown one straddled the white one's head while its head was shoved between the white one's legs.

Light covered his mouth with his hand trying to hide the grin on his face. It would be beneath him to laugh at such a tawdry, lowly attempt at humor.

"Oh, laugh with me!" she begged happily, taking his hand in hers. "It won't hurt. I promise."

Suddenly there was nothing to laugh about as they entered a dimly lit part of the ride. The lighting was muted blues and greens and the images on the walls were provocative underwater scenes of mermaids and mermen locked in amorous embraces and passionate kisses.

"This is…different," she murmured, staring at the sexually suggestive pictures. Noticing the mermaid's breasts were drawn in great life like detail she understood the age limit warning. She recalled seeing it in the corner of the sign in black letter only one inch high: Minimum age 18. She figured that was simply because of the kissing that was expected to be a part of this ride. Anyone younger and it could be considered contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

"Actually, I think this is quite artistic. It's really nice after that awful assault to the eyes we just suffered through," he said, looking around at the murals that were unexpectedly well drawn and beautifully painted.

"This is a nice surprise," she sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder without thinking. Dare she think he might be loosening up and enjoying himself? She just wanted to relax and look around since they had slipped into a comfortable moment.

It was so peaceful and cool in here. The water lapped at the sides of the boat as it was gently pulled along the by the conveyor system beneath it. Her body shivered from the cool breeze that blew across her when they entered the next section of the ride. This must be the end of the ride when the kissing was supposed to take place because it was nothing but a long, dark tunnel. She shivered again and she felt Light's arm curl around her to bring her closer to his body. She willingly curled into him because his body was putting off heat like a human space heater. Her heart thumped hard in her chest, and she was sure it was bumping into her rib cage. She could virtually feel the blood rushing through her body faster when his velvety lips brushed across her forehead.

Sachi was glad they were sitting down because it felt as if her bones had turned to gelatin. Goose bumps rose to the surface of her skin when his hand slid up her arm. The contact was delicate and enticing as his fingers moved across her skin using the sense of touch to navigate over her shoulder and neck to find her face. With gentle pressure on her chin from his forefinger, he pulled her chin up to raise her lips. Her stomach knotted as she waited in breathless anticipation for his kiss. All of a sudden, the doors swung open and they were blinded by lights. Jumping apart and shielding their eyes, they realized they had reached the end of the ride, and it was time to get out of the boat.

Waiting for them at the exit platform was a furious Misa and an amused L. It was going to be a long ride back to the hotel.

...

* * *

The whole way Misa Misa chattered like an angry squirrel, verbally hammering Light about how inappropriate it was for him to be alone with another woman, how he was mistreating her, and on and on it went. By the time they reached the hotel, Light and Sachi had headaches, Misa was still bitching, and L could not have been more entertained. A hasty goodnight was exchanged at the elevator when they reached their floor and the couples broke apart to go their separate ways.

"I'm going to take a shower," Sachi announced, ignoring the stares of the room full of cops. When were they going to get accustomed to her being here? "Can you get me something for a headache?"

"Sure. Watari?" L called for his caretaker.

Sachi rolled her eyes and continued on her way to the bathroom. How difficult could it be to get two little pills for her? She began stripping as soon as she entered the bedroom, leaving a trail of clothes right to the tub. When the water was still lukewarm, she hopped into the shower and turned her face to the refreshing stream. Perhaps a cold shower was what she needed. After adjusting the faucet, she braced herself for the icy water. The shock of the cold water felt good on her hot body, and it seemed to help her headache. Staying under the freezing shower as long as she could, her chattering teeth served as an indication for when it was time to get out.

The pills for her headache and a glass of water sat on the nightstand by the bed. For some inexplicable reason, she found it disappointing when the panda eyed pervert was not there to greet or grope her.


	7. Chapter 6

It was a confusing jumble of images that bombarded her brain and stirred up sensations in her body; lips meeting, tongues tangling, and hands roving over writhing bodies that were trembling with longing. Arousal grew in the pit of her stomach with a heavy, hot sensation that radiated throughout her body. She had a thirst that needed to be quenched.

Sachi stared at the ceiling in the dim green glow from the alarmm clock. She would swear insomnia was catching because she could barely sleep since she had met the brilliant but weird detective. Her eyes moved to the clock on the bedside table to see that it was nearly two in the morning. Would she ever get to sleep tonight? Her mind was constantly filled with all sorts of dirty thoughts that she could not seem to get rid of. Women were not supposed to have this problem. Fifty-four percent of men think about sex every day or several times a day while only nineteen of women think about sex every day or several times a day.* Obviously she had become part of the nineteen percent. Oh, god! Now she was even thinking like him.

Sachi groaned with misery and rolled onto her side, curling into a tight ball. She heard the door open and saw a flash of light from the other room before it was quickly closed again. Her body tightened in one big muscle spasm when the bed moved under her as L sat down. Groaning again, she felt his soft cool hand on her forehead.

"Are you all right? Are you sick? Does your head still hurt?" L inquired in anxious, rapid fire succession.

"I'm fine. It's just that – " She stopped short of telling him her real problem was that she was horny as hell and needed to be satisfied. She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder urging her over to her back.

"It's just what?" he asked innocently.

"I need some fresh air," she muttered, rolling away from him. She had to get out of here – now.

Getting out of the bed and not bothering with a robe, Sachi strode out of the room in her black underwear and matching silk camisole. She took the route through the kitchenette, leaving through that door rather than going through the command center. The air was warm and the wind was blowing lightly across the protected part of the roof that was open to walk on. There was a half-moon hanging high in the black sky. Laying down on the massive air conditioner units that hummed and vibrated underneath her, she stared at the moon and few stars that decorated the black backdrop. The warmth and vibration of the machines under her was actually quite relaxing and made her feel a bit drowsy. Their constant static droning was also soothing.

Sachi felt her eyelids beginning to droop and tried to fight it. She made the mistake of telling herself it was okay to close her eyes for just a second. Her mind immediately set to work forming an erotic dream starring the handsome Light Yagami as her partner. She imagined him coming to her just as hungry and sex starved as her right here where she lay. Her body could almost feel his fingers gliding up her legs, over her hips, under her camisole, until his hand clamped over her –

"Sachi!"

Sachi screamed and jolted upright when her name was unexpectedly yelled right in her ear. The sound of a male chuckling with amused satisfaction reached her ears. There stood Light with arms folded together across his bare chest. He was wearing nothing but a pair of loose black sleep pants and laughing his head off at her.

"This amuses you? Scaring the hell out of people?" she asked, scooting to the edge of the unit until her legs hung down. She was just about to drop to the roof when he stepped around, moving between her legs.

"What are you doing out here dressed like this?" His eyes moved down to her camisole, lingering over her breasts.

Sachi cursed herself when her nipples hardened and strained against the tight silky material that swathed her body. What the hell was that? Why did her body find it necessary to have that kind of reaction to him? Because it wanted something. It wanted _him_.

"What are _you_ doing out here?" she challenged, leaning back on her palms to place a little distance between them. She struggled to maintain an appearance of casual indifference as he remained standing between her thighs.

"I couldn't sleep. I'm guessing that's why you're here." His fingers reached up to brush back the loose hair that the breeze blew across her chest.

"That's exactly why I'm here," she responded, pausing briefly before addressing an earlier matter. "You remembered my name," she stated flatly, looking into his expressionless eyes.

"No, I didn't. I looked up our online high school yearbook. I found it there," he admitted, moving to sit beside her. He was so close his thigh wrapped in soft cotton material pressed against her bare one.

Sachi's skin tingled from the contact with the legendary Light Yagami. Her body felt a euphoric rush as if she had been touched by a god. It was hard to breathe. She felt like an idiot having such a childish reaction to a mere man. "Do you care about Misa at all?"

"No," he answered bluntly, putting his arm around her waist and pulling her against his side. "I was not lying or being conceited when I told you she ran after me. She was a damn stalker from the beginning. What about you and Ryuuzaki?" he asked her, putting his hand on the back of her head to pull her lips closer to his.

"That really none of your business, Light Yagami," she snapped, pushing against his bare chest. The feel of his warm skin and defined muscle under her palms caused her to breathe faster.

"I told you my secrets. You tell me yours," he provoked her, sliding his hand down her arm and allowing his thumb to trail across her breast.

"When you tell me a real secret I will," she purred back, leaning toward him. Her hands slid up his bare chest when he pressed his lips to hers. She thought her head would explode from the excitement. He may seem like an iceberg but to kiss him was quite hot and arousing.

Sachi pressed her palms flats against his well-developed pectorals choosing not the think about L at this time. It would be too difficult for her to admit the feelings she had developed for L if she thought about him at this given moment. Sliding her fingers over Light's broad shoulders, they moved up to twist themselves into his shiny brown hair that was incredibly soft and smooth.

Light's hands slipped under the edge of her camisole and moved up to her breasts. His fingers teased her nipples before his hand cupped her breasts.

"These are so nice. It feels so good to touch natural breasts again instead of implants," he murmured against her lips.

Oh, so he had done the big nasty with Misa. Surprise, surprise! He was just full of all sorts of shocking revelations. Sachi moaned when his tongue slid into her mouth seeking hers. Her thighs clenched when he found his target and stroked her tongue. She responded by aggressively pushing back at his tongue which set off an erotic oral battle. His fingers pinched her nipples causing her to lift her mouth from his to emit a small cry of pain and pleasure.

"That wasn't fair," she panted as his lips kissed down her neck.

"All is fair in love and war," he murmured in her ear, tracing the contours of her ear with his tongue.

"Which is this?" she inquired, looking into his brown eyes that were glassy with arousal.

"You tell me," he said, kissing her lips briefly.

"SACHI!" L bellowed with shocking volume and fury from the roof door.

What the hell was he doing? She was finally accomplishing the goal he had set for her from the beginning! He was sabotaging his own plan, but why? She yelped when he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her down from the unit beside Light. It was even more shocking when he violently shoved her toward the door.

"Get down here, you bastard!" he yelled at the arrogant man glaring down at him.

"What's going on?" Misa cried sounding as if she were about to burst into tears. She was standing by the roof entrance staring at the two men by the air conditioner units.

"They're about to fight. Let's go," Sachi declared, taking her by the arms and turning her around.

"Fight? About what? What's going on?" the annoying blonde demanded, jerking her arm away from Sachi to stubbornly turn back around and walk toward the men.

Light jumped from the air conditioner landing in front of L. L gave him a quick uppercut sending him stumbling backwards into the big metal box. Light returned the favor by punching L hard enough he reeled and fell. When Light approached, he was given a punishing kick to chin from the ground in an astonishing move by L. They continued to trade kicks and punches until it devolved into a schoolyard brawl including bum rushes and leg sweeps.

"I'm going to my room. I can't handle this any longer," Sachi mumbled when she grew tired of watching them pummel each other. She was going to tell the police officers there was a fight in progress between the resident brainiacs that they needed to stop. When she arrived in the control room, she thought they were watching a movie by their spellbound attention focused on the big screen. Anger filled her when she saw what they were viewing. The cops already knew about the tussle because they were watching the two men beating each other on a closed circuit feed as if it were a pay-per-view wrestling match.

"Unbelievable," she muttered, shaking her head and leaving the room. No wonder L showed up when he did. He had been watching her. What was he so angry about? He had purposely solicited her for the seduction of Light Yagami so what the hell was going on?

Slamming and locking the bedroom door, Sachi was completely ignored by the men in the other room. She turned on the lamp beside the bed, pacing the floor nervously as she wondered when it would end. Nearly an hour later a barely perceptible tap sounded at her door. She jerked open the door to see a bruised and battered L who had been patched up by his faithful friend, Watari.

"Can I come in?" he asked, keeping his dark eyes on hers as she glared at him disapprovingly.

"Yes, please do. We need to talk." She waited until he closed the door to yell at him. "What the hell was that all about?! I was finally accomplishing what you wanted!"

"I don't want that anymore. I've already enlisted him to help me investigate the case. I'll just keep him busy and get him more involved. There's a seventy-six percent likelihood he will make a mistake soon. All criminals do. It's just a matter of time," he babbled, pacing the floor in his hunched back posture while chewing on his thumb.

"Stop it," she growled, turning her back on him. "For god's sake just stop it. Tell me the truth. I know you were watching me because all of the guys were watching the camera feed when I came back in. Why did you lose it? Why did you go ballistic? I haven't known you long but I know that's not like you."

"Will you be mine?" he blurted suddenly.

"What do you mean?" she questioned without turning to look at him.

"I mean I want you to be mine. Be my real girlfriend," he said, putting his arms around her from behind.

"What about the plan?" She bit her lower lip, attempting to shrug him off but he refused to let her go.

"To hell with the plan. I want you," he murmured, pulling her hair out of the way to kiss her on the back of the neck.

"Are you sure? We've already come so far. And – "

"We'll find a different way. Will you be mine?" he repeated, kissing beneath her ear. "Seeing you with him tonight made me realize I'm in love with you. I suppose I have been all along. I tried to reason my way out of it because emotions are completely illogical and ridiculous. They don't make sense and they confound me. _You_ bewilder me."

"If it makes you feel any better, the feeling is mutual. You're the most puzzling man I've ever met. I hate you when you're near me. You irritate and infuriate me, especially when you act like a raging pervert. But I miss you when you're not there. I like it…I like it when you kiss me," she admitted, compliantly turning to face him with a slight prodding from his hands. "How do you plan to proceed after this?"

"I will go back to my original plan before I brought you into this. Light was already assisting with the investigation. He is highly intelligent and quite cunning after all," he remarked, embracing her tightly.

"So you're using his overblown pride and conceit against him?"

"Yes. Look back through history. How many mighty men have fallen due to their out of control egos? Caesar, Napoleon, Hitler, and so on. They thought they were invincible, above all other humanity, veritable gods…sound like anyone we know yet?"

Sachi was unable to hold back the snort of disdain. "Yes, it does sound like someone we know. So what will I be?"

"My girlfriend. Does that bother you?" he asked, kissing her bare shoulder.

"No. That's all I want to be," she murmured, staring into his depthless eyes. "But there's a problem."

"What's that?" He kissed her nose waiting for her to respond.

"We woke up the covetous instincts of a greedy beast."

"We'll use that against him too if necessary."

* * *

Author's Note: *Actual statistics from The Kinsey Institute


	8. Chapter 7

Sachi woke up with a smile on her face. She was officially L's girlfriend. As of yet, she had no clue exactly what that entailed. Boredom in their relationship would not be a problem she was sure. After showering and dressing in a plain pink sundress covered with red roses, she walked into the room full of activity.

Apparently all of the police officers involved in the investigation were in attendance including the Chief. The likable and silly Matsuda was talking with the Chief and Misa Misa. However, he did not appear so goofy at this moment. Whatever they were talking about, it was serious and quite heated. He wore a pinched mask of anger on his usually smiling face. All of the other officers were busy typing on their computers or talking over open file folders in their hands. Light was sitting at a laptop next to L who was pecking at his laptop keyboard.

Sachi walked over to L, sliding her arm around his neck from behind and kissing his cheek.

"Good morning, honey. Did you sleep well?" she whispered, seeing the reluctant smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

"I don't sleep," he responded, never looking away from his computer.

Sachi could see Light leaning forward in his chair literally at the edge of his seat. "Oh, so I guess you left soon after," she spoke in a stage whisper so Light could hear what she said. It was hard not to giggle when his eyes widened, and he nearly fell out of the chair.

"Damn chair! There must be something wrong with the wheels," he grumbled, catching himself before he was spilled out of the seat onto the floor.

Sachi glanced at the flustered Light offering him a smile. She was greeted with an icy yet fierce look before he moved his eyes back to the computer. It appears there is a 99% chance someone's brown eyes were turning green with envy. Dammit. Those percentages again. Trotting off to the kitchen, she opened the refrigerator to see one of L's favorite cakes sitting in the middle of the rack. Apparently Watari had been by the bakery; a place she never intended to step foot in again. Right now she was not too worried about the future because she had no idea what the future held for her. It had taken a very weird turn, driving her right into the arms of a man she never expected to be more than a friend – and that had been a stretch of the imagination in the beginning. Taking out the cake, she cut him a piece. After heating water for tea, she placed everything on a tray to take it to him.

"Thank you," L said gratefully, rising from his perch to peck her on the cheek. "I like having a girlfriend. It's kind of nice."

Sachi could feel the burning gaze of his deep brown eyes before she looked at him. Light's ability to be so childlike and irrational astonished her. He had always seemed so mature and sensible like an old soul stuck in a young body. His cool, unaffected façade was crumbling fast. She ran her finger through the icing on the cake, bringing it to her lips. Changing her mind, she lowered her finger to L's lips.

"Hey, honey, wanna lick me?" she inquired, focusing on his dark owlish eyes as he stared at her in astonishment. "What? You're the only one allowed to be a pervert?"

"Oh, what a difference one confession makes," L returned, taking her finger into his mouth.

Sachi held his intense gaze, biting her lower lip as he sucked gently. Her pulse raced and her body responded with a rush of heat of heat and moisture. She ran her fingers through his thick shaggy hair smiling down at him when he released her finger from his lips.

"You've got to be kidding me," Light growled, pounding on his keyboard with punishing keystrokes.

Sachi felt sorry for the keyboard. What had it ever done to Light?

"Hey! Rose!" Misa Misa exclaimed, bounding over to her. "Why don't you come with me and Matsu? I have a film shoot today and it would be great to have you there!"

"Sure. Why not?" she rejoined gamely, forcing herself to act enthusiastic. It would be better to be there than stuck in the room with Mr. Congeniality with the murderous glare in his eyes.

"I think that would be an excellent idea," L piped up eagerly. "Have fun."

There was nothing she would enjoy more than watching the blonde prance around a movie set. Oh, joy. At least Matsuda would be there. He was sure to do something to stir things up and make it interesting. By the way Misa pulled on her arm insistently, Sachi realized she would not have had the choice to decline the invitation. It was her turn to be manhandled by the vivacious and unrelenting woman.

...

* * *

Sachi rolled her eyes and plopped down in director's chair Matsuda had vacated minutes before. They had presented her as Matsuda's assistant to account for her presence on the closed movie set. Where had that idiot gone? How many mind-numbing hours had she been here? She could hear Misa yelling something about using a stunt double for the kissing scene with her handsome leading man. Was she serious? Obviously she was very sincere in her request because she went on to explain that she had a boyfriend and did not think he would like it very much if she kissed someone else. Oh, poor deluded girl.

Sachi slapped her forehead feeling sympathy for the ditzy blonde who really could not see the truth about her so called boyfriend. Not only did Light not care who Misa kissed, he was more than willing to kiss someone else himself. She knew that for a fact. Heat crept across her cheeks when she remembered the debacle from last night and what started it. She never did tell Misa the truth as to what caused the scuffle.

"Rose! Rose!" Misa screeched.

Oh, hell no. Not everyone needs to hear their name twice to know it.

"Yes, Misa Misa?" Sachi responded hoping her frayed and worn tolerance did not show. Judging by the titters of laughter and hands flying to faces to cover smiles by the crew, she had failed miserably.

"I just got a call from Matsu! We're going to a party! I'm going to be the face of Yotsuba Group!" she exclaimed excitedly, jumping up and down.

"Yay!" Sachi trilled in feigned excitement, jumping up and down too. Wait! Yotsuba Group? She remembered seeing that name on L's computer screen. _Suspected of conspiring with Kira to murder business rivals_ followed after the name.

Misa was already skipping off to her trailer while chattering excitedly into her phone. She turned around, waving Sachi toward her. When her friend made no move toward her, she yelled, "Rose! Come on! I'm calling some friends to help us. They'll be here soon. What size do you wear?"

"Wait! Misa! I don't think – "

"She looks to be about a size ten…Double digits! How awful, right?…She's a little fat… She eats A LOT…I know!... It's shameless!" Misa prattled into her phone.

"I hate her," Sachi muttered to herself. "How has Light not killed her yet?"

...

* * *

Sachi felt completely ridiculous. L would be so proud and perversely happy with her present fashion predicament. She pulled at the micro miniskirt that barely covered her ass. He would be immensely thrilled and taking advantage of that fact if he were with her. The top of the skirt sat on her hips which seemed a mile away from the tiny cut off top that had a huge heart cut out to show a generous part of her cleavage. To add insult to injury it was pink – not just any pink but a horrid fluorescent pink. She could remember always throwing that crayon away first from a brand new box because it was such a hideous color, and she never used it. All of the executives from Yotsuba Group seemed to be happily engaged in some kind of interaction with a girl except for one who stood behind the couch away from everyone else. He was quite attractive with long black hair and an expression of polite contempt on his face for everyone around him. It was obvious he did not want to be here either. She decided it would be safe to stand by him.

"Hey, baby! Why don't you sit in my lap?" asked a sleazy looking man with the grin like that of a potential rapist on his face. He grabbed Sachi's wrist and tried to pull her into his lap when she did not willingly accept his lecherous offer. This man's name was Kyosuke Higuchi. Once again, her photographic memory had come in handy.

"You've already got a girl," Sachi pointed out in reference to the aggravated brunette by his side. "Let's not be greedy. I was just on my way to your friend back there to keep him company."

"He's not a friend of mine. Besides, there's enough of me to go around," he informed her, licking his lips and pulling on her wrist.

"Mmmm…I bet," she rejoined, resisting the urge to spit in his lascivious face. She pulled away from him, making sure not to lean too close to him. Getting too close to this horny beast could spell certain disaster for her assets. "Well, see the thing is...I don't like to share and I don't play well with others. I failed kindergarten."

Higuchi roared with laughter and released her wrist. Just as she was about to walk toward the man behind the couch, Matsuda came stumbling toward her. He bumped into her, pretending to sway like a drunkard, whispering in her ear to get ready. Get ready for what?

"What the hell?" she muttered, watching him stumble through the open glass sliding that led to the balcony. She felt her phone vibrate in its extraordinarily awkward hiding place and squealed.

Rushing to the bathroom, Sachi crammed her hand through the heart shaped opening of her shirt to retrieve her phone from between her breasts. Her options had been limited on where to stash the phone due to her skimpy outfit. She had no intention of giving any of these men an opportunity to find it. Flipping open the phone, she swiftly read the text. _Get out of there NOW! Leave Misa and the other girls so it won't look suspicious. They will be safe. We have been watching all of you the whole time. Help is here. _

Sachi poked her head out of the bathroom door and saw the room full of people was transfixed on observing Matsuda on the balcony. She inhaled sharply when she saw him doing a handstand on the balcony balustrade. Idiot! Since everyone was preoccupied, she crossed the short distance to the door and hurriedly ran out. Moving down the hall at a fast pace, she hit the stairwell door because she did not have time to wait for an elevator. She received another text and looked at her phone. _Hurry up and get downstairs. We will be arriving in the ambulance._

"What?" She hated being clueless. How could Misa be so blissfully happy functioning in a mental darkness? Then again, she had Light to guide her. A mean smile stretched across Sachi's face from the thought.

She hurried down the final flight of stairs and burst through the exit at the side of the building. Hearing the sirens, she ran down the alley toward the street in front of the hotel. She saw two familiar looking medics hop out of the ambulance to go to the still body lying on the sidewalk. Since the back of the ambulance was open and the crowd was distracted by the supposed dead man, she took her chance and ran to it. After jumping into the back, she crammed herself beneath the bench where the medics would sit. She held her breath as she watched the wheels of the stretcher roll by just before the two medics hopped in. Her eyes moved from one pair of feet to the other; she could tell by the shoes one person was L and the other was Light. To horrify them both equally, she grabbed an ankle belonging to each man simultaneously. The feminine shrieks they released were more frightening than the situation she had just escaped.

Sachi wiggled from beneath the bench making sure she crawled between the legs with the dirty, torn sneakers on the feet. Her head popped up between his knees and he gave her a languid, libidinous grin that betrayed his thoughts immediately. She smiled back and grabbed his outstretched hands so he could pull her out.

"Hi," she greeted him casually, sitting in his lap.

"Are you all right?" he asked with concern, looking her over in a clinical way to make sure she was uninjured.

"I'm fine. What about Matsuda?" she inquired, kissing his cheek.

"He's fine. So are Misa and the other girls. Those executives ran like rabbits to keep from getting caught by the dogs of the press. They certainly can't afford media attention and neither can we." He paused, kissing her briefly on the lips. "I didn't want you to be a part of this. We're a little short staffed at the present time, and it couldn't be helped," L explained, running his fingers through her hair.

"I'm fine. I should be helping, remember? Don't worry so much," she gently chided him, turning to look at the attractive blond man sitting on the stretcher.

"Who are you?" she and stunned blue eyed man asked each other in unison.

"Aiber, Rose. Rose, Aiber," L hurriedly introduced. He eyed Sachi appreciatively as she sat in his lap with her arms around his neck. "What are you wearing?"

"Something I will never wear again," she murmured, grabbing the sheet off of Aiber and covering her body with it.

"I don't know," he murmured, attempting to pull down the sheet to look at her body. He smiled when she slapped his hand playfully. "Under certain circumstances it could be quite – "

"NO! Under no circumstances will you see me in this after tonight – ever."


	9. Chapter 8

Everyone was glad they made it back to the command center safely. Sachi went straight to the kitchen to begin making coffee. She smiled at the kindly caretaker named Watari when he walked into the kitchen as she was measuring coffee into the filter. He is always so quiet and polite while being attentive to L's every need. He never complained no matter how childish or demanding L could be.

"You don't have to do that, Miss. I'll take care of it," he assured her, smiling pleasantly.

Sachi was sure he smiled because his thick white moustache turned upwards at the edges. "I don't mind helping. I had a real job just a few days ago. Watari, how long have you been taking care of L?"

"Since he was a child, Miss. He's an amazing young man," he said with fatherly pride, retrieving the cake from the refrigerator to begin cutting it up.

"Yes. He is quite an incredible person," she murmured thoughtfully, filling the electric kettle to heat water for tea. She opened the cabinet to begin retrieving cups.

"Miss Sachi, do you love him?" he asked with uncharacteristic bluntness.

Sachi lost her grip on the delicate china cup from the unexpected question. Helplessly she watched it fall to the floor and break into shards. "Oh, no," she gasped, covering her mouth. "I'm so sorry, Watari."

"It's all right. I should never have asked such a rude question. I apologize," he rejoined, opening the small closet to his left to retrieve the broom and dustpan.

"I suppose it is fair. I asked quite a personal question as well. You took me by surprise, "she admitted, giving him a sheepish smile. "I'm not sure how to answer because I'm not sure myself. I definitely like him and want to get to know him better. Isn't it too soon for the four letter word?"

"You are correct. Don't move," he said, looking at the broken pieces of delicate porcelain on the floor. "Let me sweep that up."

Sachi's mind is flooded with thoughts evoked by the one, seemingly simple, question. _Do you love him?_ Did she? It had only been a few days. Her involvement with L had been intended to be strictly professional. She was supposed to _pretend_ to be his girlfriend to seduce Light Yagami for obtaining information and nothing more. Somehow, she had become fully entrenched in the investigation and emotionally entangled with L as well. She puffed out a noisy exhalation to blow the unruly curl from her forehead.

"I can do that if you like," she offered, attempting to take the broom.

"No, I'll do it. I don't mind really," he assured her, carefully sweeping up the broken pieces from around her feet.

Once the mess was dealt with, Sachi assisted him with loading up the cart with cake slices, coffee, and tea for the people in the next room. Everyone is talking at once it seemed when she and Watari entered the room. She heard bits and pieces of conversations as she walked about serving people to help the overworked caretaker. Once that was done, she fixed herself a cup of tea and sat down beside L who is poking at his computer keyboard. She leaned over and kissed his cheek before she could stop herself.

"You better stop doing that. Some of these people might get the idea that you like me or something," L joked without moving his eyes from his monitor. A soft smile played at the edges of his lips but never fully developed.

"Oh, I hope so. I _want_ them to get the wrong idea. I _do_ like you or something," she responded, smiling over her cup at him. "Did you need anything else?"

"No. Just you." He reached over to pat her on the knee which reminded her she had not changed yet.

She liked his answer. While sipping her tea, her eyes skimmed down the computer screen. Doing that had come in quite handy before and probably would again. After finishing her tea, she began to feel sleepy. People are beginning to leave, possibly to go to bed themselves. Tomorrow held the potential of being another long day. No one really knew from day to day where the investigation would lead.

"Honey, I'm going to take a shower then go to bed," she said, standing up and stretching.

"I'll be in there in a few minutes," he informed her, staring at his computer monitor.

"You will? Of course you will," she murmured, going to the bedroom with a smile on her face.

After her shower, Sachi dressed in a tank top and matching boxer shorts. She lay down on the bed, picking up the book he had left on the bedside table for her. It is a book about a detective who is also a pastry chef. She had to giggle at the irony. Settling into her pillow, she opened the book and began to read. By the time she finished the second chapter and was beginning to nod off, the man she was waiting for entered the room.

"Sorry it took me so long. Light and I were going over some information and planning our next step," he explained, lying down beside her. "I think he would have kept me in there all night if he could have."

"Do you really trust him L?" she inquired, closing the book and laying it on the table. She rolled over toward him so that they are face to face.

"No. I don't. But I have to do this. Have you heard the maxim keep your friends close and your enemies closer?" He kissed the tip of her nose, running his fingers along the thin strap of her tank top.

"Yes. So you're using that saying in the most literal sense," she returned, looking into his black eyes. She placed her hands on his cheeks, running her thumbs over the dark circles under his eyes. "I wish you would sleep."

"I do. A few hours every few days are more than enough. I don't want to think about that right now. I came in here to be with you," he murmured, scooting closer to her and pressing his lips against hers.

Sachi held her breath, delighting in the tender kiss he gave her. His lips were so soft against hers and he always tasted sweet. She would swear he oozed the sugar he ate to excess. Her tongue flicked across his bottom lip, and he immediately opened his mouth. She inhaled loudly not only to fill her lungs that longed for oxygen but also because his tongue met hers. Their tongues lazily intertwined then untangled in an unhurried way. She smiled when he reluctantly broke the kiss.

"I'm curious. Will you allow me to do something? Just think of it as research to sate my thirst for knowledge." When she did not object, he pushed her over onto her back. Moving until he was laying with his body pressed against her side, he began his little 'experiment.' "Close your eyes."

Sachi shivered with anticipation when his finger touched her bottom lip. Her lips parted a little as he traced them with an almost imperceptible pressure of his forefinger. She slid her tongue out to touch the pad of his finger which made him inhale noisily. Her body flushed with warmth when he tentatively pushed his finger into her mouth. Sucking lightly on the finger laid against her tongue, he released a moan that made her whole body jerk with a stab of excitement. She squirmed from arousal as he slowly moved his finger in and out of her mouth. Her hip grazed against him below the waist, feeling something hard pressing into her. Wriggling again and purposely rubbing him this time, she elicited a low grunt from him that made her want to rip his clothes off.

"We should stop," he whispered in her ear, pulling his finger from her mouth.

"It's not fair," she whispered back, clutching the waist of his jeans at the button and zipper to keep him from getting up. Her eyes were piercing with an emotion somewhere between anger and sadness as she looked at him. "You can't do that to me. Don't torture me. Don't you like me at all?"

"Of course I like you. I might even – " He stopped himself, moving back to her. His lips moved across hers in a soothing kiss meant to calm her feelings.

"You're inquisitive right? I'm sure you have questions about sex and the female body. Satisfy them," she urged him, taking his hand in hers.

Sachi brought his hand to her lips, kissing each fingertip. They are the hands of a master detective and deserved to be treated with care. Flattening his hand against hers for a moment, she smiled at how hers are only a tad smaller than his and they are both equally pale skinned. Her skin coloring is hereditary; his resulted from an aversion to sunlight. She laid his hand over her breast and the nipple instantly hardened to a rigid little nub beneath his palm.

"Satisfy me," she requested, kissing him fleetingly on the lips. She issued a sigh when he delicately squeezed her breast then brushed his fingers across the firm piece of flesh that had responded so quickly to his touch.

"Fascinating," he mumbled, pulling the tank top out of the way so he could see it.

Sachi watched his face as his big eyes stared at her breast with bold interest. It is an erotic yet comical thing to observe him studying her like a scientific specimen. She bit her lip to hold back a giggle as he poked it, then brushed his finger over it. When he pinched it she withheld a moan. He repeated the process, and she had no choice but to release the moan of pleasure she could no longer hold back.

"Oh, L, honey," she gasped, holding him tightly around his shoulders. "You do know there's more to this right?"

"Yeah. There's another one right here," he said, pulling back her top to uncover it.

"OH GOD!" she yelled when his warm wet tongue lapped over it.

"You liked that? Want me to do it again?"

This is truly depraved, exciting, and wonderfully weird. "Yes, please."

L granted her request and she squealed with delight. He closed his mouth over it, sucking lightly to make her wriggle and writhe like a worm on a hook. He is having fun and so is she so where is the harm? They are both consenting adults after all. Touching and prodding with unrelenting curiosity, he aroused more than his curiosity.

Her mind began to form a hundred questions one of the first being had he ever had sex with a woman? Considering his overwhelming strangeness, distinct social inaptitude, and boundless desire for erotic knowledge exhibited right now, she seriously doubted it. Her eyes opened to see his fastened to her face in investigative awe. Sachi returned his gaze in the silence that had fallen over them. She sighed with satisfaction when his lips covered hers once more. Her hands moved to his face, holding it tenderly in her palms as he kissed her with a poignant tenderness. The kiss is long and slow, making her body ache with desire. Her unlikely lover is shockingly tantalizing and alluring with his gentle touches and unhurried kisses. She watched his every move as he sat up then crawled to her feet. Her eyes locked with his as he gently separated her legs and knelt between them.

"L, what are you doing?" she asked, when his fingers slid under her shirt and up her belly. Her body tingled with delight as his hands continued their upward trek, pulling her shirt along with them. She hissed with pleasure when his nails softly scraped her skin while he pushed her shirt up her arms and over her head.

"I want to make love to you," he whispered, leaning down to kiss her.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm one hundred percent sure." Lying down on top of her, he pressed his lips to hers.

Sachi slid her fingers into his amazingly thick, shaggy hair when his tongue entered her mouth. She sighed with arousal sucking his tongue slightly to taste the sweetness that seemed to be such an integral part of him. She released his tongue and pulled her mouth from his, turning her head to expose her neck to him like a woman offering herself to a vampire. The invitation to explore her skin with kisses is eagerly accepted, and he pressed his lips to the area below her earlobe first. She patiently and happily pandered to his sensual explorations as he proceeded to kiss every inch of her neck and chest. Sweat broke out all over her body from the powerful yearning he is stirring up within her. Raising her hips for him, she ran her fingers through his hair as he pulled her shorts and panties down her legs.

Sachi assisted him with pulling his shirt over his head then waited patiently while he took off his jeans and underwear. She gasped when she felt his warm, rigid member brush across her womanhood while he cautiously laid down on top of her. She held his lean body firmly with her hands clutching his slim waist as they lay still in others arms. Her hands began to move across his naked body which felt so fragile and thin. She raised her hips, touching his manhood which made it twitch and poke her thigh close to its target. When he moved his hips toward her, she positioned herself beneath him in an attempt to maneuver him in. She grunted with frustration when the head pressed against her and penetrated briefly before he moved away.

"Are you mine?" he whispered in her ear with the head pressed against her longing body.

"Yes," she answered, opening herself to him physically and emotionally. She whispered his name when he pushed into her.

The carnal, aching desire that had been plaguing her was finally being pacified. His body trembled beneath her hands as he moved in a deliberate, measured way to savor every sensation going through his body. Sachi is amazed with what a gentle, attentive lover he turned out to be. She slid her hands over his back as he moved inside of her causing pleasure to flow through her with each long stroke. He kissed her lips and caressed her breasts as he made love to her. He made sure she felt every inch of him from head to base which left her panting and gasping for breath. Her body quaked beneath him as he slowly brought her to a climax that left her in tears and clinging to him. He kissed her tears away as he continued to move at the same restrained pace. She heard the difference in his breathing as he neared an orgasm.

L's breath came in rapid, erratic gasps then his hips moved faster with shorter strokes. He groaned, calling her name when he discharged inside of her. She held him as he convulsively thrust into her a few more times before he had fully ejected everything within him into her. Sachi felt his whole body relax on top of hers as his breathing slowed and fell into a steady rhythm. Her fingers brushed through his hair while he lay on her chest with his head between her breasts. She kissed his forehead, smiling when he stirred and rolled off next to her. A giggle of happiness rushed out of her when he cuddled her to him, fitting his body to hers with her back pressed to his chest.

Sachi sighed deeply, luxuriating in the warmth of his body seeping into hers. Listening to the sound of his breathing relaxed her and she began to feel drowsy. Just before drifting into unconsciousness, she became aware that he was already slumbering peacefully beside her. How long had it been since he had slept? With a content smile on her face, she fell asleep in her improbable lover's arms.

* * *

When she awoke the next morning, Sachi is alone in the bed with a blanket tucked around her. Since she is naked, she knows that last night was not a dream. Did she regret it? No. Is she still in shock that it happened? Definitely.


	10. Chapter 9

Sachi and L did not act any differently, but everyone else acted strangely. When she walked into the room going straight to L, everyone stared in breathless anticipation of what she would do next. She was treated to another frigid glower from Light before he turned his back on her and walked out. Ignoring them all, she gave L the customary kiss on the cheek then sat down beside him.

"What's going on?" she whispered after they all returned to whatever they were doing.

"Misa is at her interview with Yotsuba Group. Everyone is a little on edge right now," he advised her.

"Oh." Sitting back in her chair, she inhaled a deep cleansing breath of relief.

"And they know what we did because you're really loud," he added with no change in facial expression.

"Dammit!" she hissed, getting out of her chair. She did not see the lopsided smirk of satisfaction on L's face that hinted toward his misplaced pride in everyone knowing what they did.

Sachi entered the little kitchen and began opening cabinets to retrieve the necessary elements for a cup of coffee. Although it was well past morning, she needed her caffeine. It made her smile to know that L had allowed her to sleep so late. Last night was the first really good sleep she had enjoyed in a while. Hell, what led to it was GREAT! Her smile broadened, and she felt giddy just from thinking about it.

"Coffee, coffee, coffee, coffee," she chanted to herself. Damn. She has been spending too much time around Misa.

Sachi's mind wandered to the eccentric owlish man in the other room. Maybe he was more like an owl than a panda. Those big round eyes, staying up all night, the way he perches on a chair to sit… Her mind began to replay last night, and she quivered. A pair of arms slid around her waist and a sigh escaped her lips when a gentle kiss was planted on her cheek.

"Oh, L," she breathed, reaching back with her hand. Her fingers touched soft smooth hair instead of thick coarse hair. Turning around in horror, she met the intent gaze of an amused pair of brown eyes.

"Well, someone seems to have gotten a bit over friendly with the genius detective," Light murmured, reaching out to stroke his fingertips across her cheek.

"That's what girlfriends usually do isn't it?" she challenged, narrowing her eyes in anger.

"I guess you proved me wrong. All this time I thought it was just an act to trap me into something like an 'accidental' confession," he accused.

"That's absurd," she scoffed, turning to avoid looking at him. She poured her coffee and began to add sugar cubes, not counting as he continued to talk.

"Is it really? Come on," he stated in a low, seductive voice. He pressed his body against the back of hers, pushing her into the counter. "A pretty girl like you not using her body to gain favors? That's what you did in school, wasn't it?"

Sachi wiggled in his arms, attempting to free herself. Fury boiled within her from him reminding her of the nasty rumors from high school. She bit her lower lip as pain surged through her body from him bearing down harder on her to drive her hip bones into the handle of the drawer. She was also trying to ignore the hard mound pressing relentlessly into the small of her back. Considering the odd and uncomfortable predicament she was caught in, she did her best not to move because the slightest graze against him would only serve to entice him to hurt her more. It also seemed to be turning him on which was something she definitely did not want to encourage.

"Was L hoping for a little pillow talk after you delivered great sex and a mind numbing orgasm? A bedtime confession after you loosen my lips? Is that it?" he bit through his teeth, sliding his hand up her belly in teasing manner. "I'm not a violent person and sex never has been an overwhelming desire for me. But for you – " He kissed her neck and covered her breast with his hand. "For you, I would make an exception."

"It's not like that," she responded, her voice quavering with the fear that he had made take root inside of her. No, it is not like that _anymore_. She had no intention of seducing him anymore, and L had decided to implement different methods to prove his theory that Light Yagami was indeed the notorious Kira.

"Don't you have anything else to say? Any more denials? An excuse? You usually have no problem with that mouth of yours," he whispered in her ear, rubbing himself against her. "Don't you still want me?"

Sachi questioned if he was serious or if he was just messing with her head to get a reaction. He liked to manipulate people so that would include preying on their fears. Was it all bluff and bluster to intimidate her? Deciding that his actions were only a ploy to control her, she grabbed his hand, squeezing his fingers around her breast. Swiveling her hips, she pushed back against him, moving until he was humping her with clothes on.

"Oh, Light, I still want you," she gasped, feeling his whole body tense. Her smile turned sadistic and predatory when he tried to pull his hand away from her. She had been correct in her deduction.

"Let go," he growled, his fingers open and splayed wide as he attempted to remove his hand from her breast and her grip.

"But I thought you wanted me," she pouted, releasing his hand. It was damn near impossible not to laugh when he almost fell as he pulled back from her, but somehow she managed to avoid it.

"Oh, I do. I _will_ have you," Light openly threatened, grinning at her menacingly. "But I have more important things to deal with right now."

Sachi ignored the not so subtle insult at the end. She knew he was annoyed because she called his bluff. Watching him as he stalked off, she made sure he was gone before turning back to her coffee. That bastard. Sipping her coffee, she blanched and made a face because it tasted like she as drinking coffee flavored syrup. A quick glance at the sugar bowl told her she had added way too many sugar cubes. She fixed herself another cup and took the coffee syrup to L.

"Thank you," he said, actually taking his eyes off the monitor for a brief moment. He looked at her then at the desk and back to her.

'What is he looking for?' she pondered, sipping her new and improved coffee with only two cubes of sugar. She ignored him as he continued to stare at her with a pleading look in his eyes. Finally, the puppy dog eyes bore into her and she could no longer stand it.

"What? What do you want?" she inquired, staring into her cup.

"No dessert?" he asked, visibly recoiling from the scathing look she sent him.

"How silly of me," she reprimanded herself. Calmly putting her cup down, she returned to the kitchen. She found the perfect thing.

L virtually drooled as he watched her sashay toward him with the cake piled high with extra whipped cream. It is an amazing thing that the man could be turned on by a confection more than sex. Holding the plate level with his mouth, she waited. Before he could take the plate from her, she flipped it forward and smashed it into his face.

"Eat that!" she snapped, whirling around to go hide in the bedroom. She could hear the snorts and chuckles of poorly restrained laughter during her retreat. What she did not hear was the stealthy detective sneaking up behind her and following her into the room.

Turning to close and lock the door behind her, Sachi screamed when she was confronted with a whipped cream monster who had stalked her to her hiding place. She followed the path of his hands as he closed and locked the door trapping her with him. Another scream mixed with laughter flowed from her when he grabbed her and pressed his lips against hers making sure to smear as much whipped cream all over her face as possible. This was the sweetest kiss by far being flavored with the whipped cream and a good sprinkling of his usually hidden sense of humor.

"I need a shower and so do you," she giggled after he lifted his lips from hers.

"Not yet. Why don't we lick this off each other and do other things to get all sticky and dirty before we take a shower?"

"Oh, L…"

...

* * *

"Is this going to be problem? Is her being here going to cause issues with this investigation?" Light demanded when the couple came out of the bedroom.

"No. It's really none of your business who I have here during this investigation. Or what I do with them. As long as we accomplish our goals, does it matter what happens in between?" L shot back, glaring at him ferociously. His expression spoke volumes louder than his words and the agitated Light backed down.

"By the way, Misa has fallen off our radar. She pulled a quick one on Mogi and has disappeared to do a little investigating on her own. Idiot!" he barked in frustration.

Was it possible he really did care about Misa? He had to just a little a bit for that kind of reaction. Or maybe he is just a better actor than she thought. His earlier performance had been startling and quite spectacular.

Sachi followed L to his usual place and was surprised to see a laptop sitting in front of the chair she always occupied beside him. It was a lovely shade of red – like a rose. She eyed him warily because he was carrying the whole rose thing a little too far. But she was _his_ rose so she would deal with it. Opening the computer and pressing the power button, she sat down to begin searching; for what she was not sure yet but they had to find that idiot Misa Misa before she brings them all down.

...

* * *

"Hiiiii! I'm back! And guess what I found out!" the blonde squealed happily pulling her phone out of the pocket of the nurses uniform she is wearing.

"MISA!" Light bellowed so loudly it startled everyone in the room. He rushed to her, grabbing her by the arms. It appeared he was barely hanging on to his self-control and resisting the urge to throttle her. "What in the hell are you wearing?"

"That's not important. Listen!" she exclaimed happily, pressing a button on her phone.

Sachi shivered when she heard the voice of that slimy sexual deviant, Kyosuke Higuchi, echoing through the room with a high, metallic sound since it was coming from the cell phone. She listened while holding her breath just like everyone else: Kyosuke Higuchi blatantly admitted to being Kira while declaring his desire to make Misa his wife. Her eyes moved to Light whose tanned skin had turned a dark pink color from the anger seething under the surface. She turned around to her computer to look up information on the executives of Yotsuba Group when the furious man launched into a lecture admonishing his girlfriend as if she were a child for putting herself in so much danger.

Watari wheeled in a three tiered tray of sweets for L. He must have heard things were getting intense with investigation and brought in a stockpile of brain food to fuel the prodigy. After handing her and L cups of coffee, he exited the room as unobtrusively and discreetly as he had entered.

Sachi put in the earphones that were lying beside the computer to block out the sound of L speaking to Wedy, a professional cat burglar, who had broken into Higuchi's house under his orders. Suddenly she could feel the tension of heightened emotions permeating the room as if it had become a bodily presence. Without turning from her computer, in her peripheral vision she could see L and Light involved in a turbulent conversation. L had a serious, thoughtful expression on his face while Light's appearance was that of unadulterated rage. Light heaved such a heavy sigh it raised his shoulders before his face relaxed like he had given up and acquiesced to a truth he did not even want to admit to himself. Pulling the earphones out of her ears, she listened.

"Then it would be my choice to transfer the power," Light said, lowering his eyes to the floor.

"We need to find a way to trap Higuchi before he can transfer the power so we can discover how he kills," L stated as if he were thinking out loud rather than talking to anyone. "Here's what we do…"

L carefully explained the plan to use Sakura TV to incite Higuchi into exposing the secret as to how he commits the murders. Matsuda would be used as bait to provoke him to kill someone. There was a distinct possibility he could die depending on the extent of this Kira's powers. Poor Matsuda – the man looked horrified and ready to faint. However, he declared he was willing to go along with the plan after considering his options for mere minutes.

Sachi glanced at L who was crouched in his chair like usual and chewing his thumb to signify he was thinking intensely.

"Light, make the call to Namikawa," L ordered.

Light gladly obliged and Sachi soon figured out why he was so swift to act on the request. He moved in between her and L, grabbing the phone that could not be traced or tapped. For his gratification, he shoved her chair with a powerful push that tipped it forward.

Her feet shot out to keep her from falling, but it did not save the chair from crashing to the floor. She disregarded the glares she received from the officers because she was too busy giving Light a withering stare for his childish actions. Since he was busy with something extremely important to the investigation, she restrained herself from reacting in any way, not even speaking. Instead she went to the balcony to try to calm herself down. Was this going to be a habit of his now? Outright attacks or subtle, hateful actions?

Sachi massaged her bruised hips, pacing back and forth on the balcony. She would not tell L about the incident that had occurred between her and Light earlier. Somehow she would handle him on her own.


	11. Chapter 10

The distinct sound of helicopter blades whipping the air woke her up. Sachi sat up in the bed just as L entered the room. She put her arms around him when he sat down on the bed beside her.

"I have to go," he informed her, an urgency that he could not hide underlying his voice.

"What? What's going on?" she asked, hopelessly confused in her half asleep state.

"Light and I are going to get Higuchi. We're about to end this thing. I – " He pulled her into his arms, hugging her tightly. "Just in case I don't come back, I want you to know this…I love you."

"What?" She was rendered mute by his insistent kiss before he abruptly stood up to leave. _I love you. _The words bounced around in her skull but refused to sink into her brain. Throwing back the covers, she ran after him. "L! Wait!"

"I can't. I have to – " It was his turn to be interrupted as she clasped his hand and turned him around to face her.

Sachi grabbed his face and gave him a passionate kiss she hoped relayed everything she was feeling. "I won't say it until you come back to me."

"L! Let's go!" Light yelled, rushing to the door.

Sachi walked behind L to the control room. Her eyes fell on Misa chained to Light's computer chair. Thinking it was an unneeded and drastic measure, her anger flared. She did comprehend the necessity of a gag in the woman's mouth.

"What the hell – " She stared after the men who were running out of the door. "Was that necessary?"

"Don't untie her or we'll do the same thing to you when we get back!" L warned her without looking over his shoulder. Then they were gone.

Misa whimpered and pleaded with her big blue eyes for Sachi to let her go.

"I'm sorry, Misa. I can't," she said with a shrug of her shoulders. She certainly did not want to wind up like that. Besides, it was not a bad thing that Misa was gagged.

Sitting down at her computer, Sachi opened up the link to the camera on the roof to watch them take off. Once the helicopter disappeared into the night sky, she was left with a sense of desolation and overwhelming fear. She began typing in codes to open the audio links between the helicopter and the police officers on the ground. Nothing worked. _Access denied_ kept flashing on the screen making her want to scream in frustration. She could not even open the bugs from Higuchi's vehicle to have some idea of what was happening. L had purposely disabled all of the communication feeds to the control room.

"Thanks, L. Not knowing anything is so much better," she grumbled to herself. There was nothing for her to do but wait.

The waiting was interminable. Sachi paced the room that was empty except for her and her partner in misery, Misa. When would they finally return? She could not contemplate the concept of _if_ they come back. Light's return was inconsequential and meaningless, but L had to come back. There was something she needed to tell him. She had not returned the words earlier in the expectation it would give him the motivation to fight harder and be more careful so he could come back to her. Regret filled her so completely she felt nauseated from the powerful, negative emotion. She should have just said it. She should have told him the three small words that mean so much.

The minutes seemed like hours and the hours felt like days. When would this end? Sachi had rubbed her own hands raw by wringing them like a wet washcloth for hours. Her feet ached from pacing the room. Just as she was about to give into the tears that wanted to fall, she heard the helicopter. Racing to the roof, the door was snatched out of her hand by the strong wind stirred up from the big mechanical bird. Shielding her face from the airborne dirt and debris, she waited until the steady hum of the blades died away with a pathetic descending whir. She ran to the helicopter, passing Light but unable to ignore him. He had an evil glint in his eye that had not been there before. He had always been intimidating but now he was downright frightening. A cold chill emanated from him and sent a shot of fear straight up her spine. She visibly trembled as he turned his threatening eyes on her. A screech of startled terror escaped her when L enveloped her in a crushing embrace.

"What did you want to tell me?" he inquired with an unmistakable glimmer of happiness in his eyes.

"I love you," she answered, pressing her lips to his.

"I'm so glad," he murmured against her lips, returning the kiss with passion and enthusiasm.

Sachi held him tightly while he carefully explored her mouth with his tongue as if he were doing more 'research' on her. She could get accustomed to being a test subject of his.

"Sachi, I need to go. I have to conduct a debriefing with everyone then I'll come to you," he assured her, kissing her again and attempting to keep it quick.

Sachi reveled in the kiss that lingered and neither one of them wanted to stop. She felt his body tense under her hands so she forced herself to pull her lips back.

"Is this thing over?" she asked, looking into his dark eyes.

"No. There's much more to it than I first thought," he answered, putting his arm around her shoulders as they slowly walked to the control room. "There's been some supernatural developments that I did not expect."

"What do you mean? L, what happened? There's something different about Light. I swear he's not the same person that left here," she said, unable to explain any further.

"We'll talk later. You can stay for the debriefing if you would like. A lot of your questions might be answered if you do."

Sachi and L walked into the room to see everyone talking. Misa had been released and had gone to her room. Light was sitting at his computer typing like a madman with a notebook in his hand.

Sachi felt ill upon looking at him and just wanted to be as far away from him as possible. She had not slept well the last few nights and tonight had made her a human train wreck of potent emotions.

"I'm sorry, honey. I-I feel sick so I think I better go lay down," she said, giving him one last peck on the lips before retreating to the bedroom.

Sachi fought the nausea that washed over her in waves, making her break into a sweat. She curled into a tight ball on her side willing the terrible sensation to go away. Taking measured breathes she tried to calm herself down. Maybe it was just a delayed stress reaction from all of the anxiety tonight. When the drowsiness came to her, she did not fight it but willingly gave into it to escape the nausea plaguing her. A good night's sleep was probably exactly what she needed anyway.

~\..'../~

* * *

Sachi felt gentle, tickling kisses being applied to her ribs. She moaned and smiled, burying her hands into L's familiar mane of coarse, unruly hair. Her body responded with a rush of wetness as his lips moved lower. He had now awakened her in two ways. She whispered his name when she felt his hair tickle her inner thigh. She had slept naked last night in anticipation of his visit. Apparently the debriefing had lasted a while. She could see the gloomy grayish light of dawn glowing at the edges of the curtain.

"Oh, L," she gasped, biting the back of her hand to keep from screaming when his tongue delved into the previously orally unexplored depths of her body. Her fingers twisted themselves into his hair as he thoroughly enjoyed himself and pleasured her greatly by exploring a whole new world within her. To her boundless delight, once he had satisfied his curiosity there, he decided to make new discoveries about her by probing her mercilessly. He learned how to make her squeal and grunt like a little pig by putting her knees over his shoulders and thrusting into her so deep he touched her womb. It was comical and gratifying all at once. When the end came so did they with a unifying burst of pleasure that made them cry out for each other from the immaculate ecstasy. A lot of frustrations, desire, stress, and love were poured out in that moment. Over the next few days, he would make love to her time and time again. Little did they know, they were making the best use of what little time they had left together.

~\..'../~

* * *

The electricity flickered then went out momentarily. Sachi quickly walked to the control room when she heard panicked voices and heard an alarm coming from the computers. All of the screens were white with the words _information deleted_ blinking in all bold black capital letters.

"What's going on? L? What –" She watched him pitch forward and nearly fall out of his chair. Running to him, she gladly shoved Light out of the way to get to L. "What's wrong?"

"I-I think it's a heart attack," he ground out between his teeth. His big eyes settled on Light's face.

Sachi followed his line of vision to look at the man who wore a sadistic grin of pure evil. They were the only ones who could see his malicious face.

"You fooled me. You did something no one else has done before. Congratulations," L gasped, staring at the man who loomed above him menacingly. His gaze switched to the woman who held him while he was dying. Pressing his lips to hers one last time and with his dying breath, he declared, "I love you."

"No, no, NO! You can't do this to me! You can't leave me!" she screamed, holding him tightly. She was pushed over by the heaviness of his limp body and they both fell to the floor. Making sure to fall with him on top of her, she was momentarily stunned by the breath being knocked out of her. Rolling him to the floor gently, she sat up and pulled him to her chest. She rocked him, rubbing his arms and chest in a desperate but useless attempt to revive him. When that did not work she began kissing and stroking his face, begging him to wake up as the men surrounding her stood in petrified disbelief.

"He can't be dead," Light mumbled, dropping to his knees beside her.

Sachi jerked away from him when he attempted to pull her into his arms. She protectively folded her body around L's lifeless one wanting to protect him from Light although it was too late. Her arms cinched around him with an amazingly strong grip as Matsuda and Mr. Yagami tried to pull the dead man from her.

"Sachi, let go," Light pled with her, insincere tears falling down his cheeks and dropping onto her arms as he hovered above her. He grabbed her fingers and attempted to pry them from L's shoulders but she gripped him with every bit of life within her.

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" she screamed shrilly like a ferocious beast that had been wounded. She had been wounded – terribly because the man she loved lay dead in her arms. The men continued to struggle with her, pulling and poking at her arms until she became sore and bruised.

"Let him go. He's dead. I'm sad that he's gone, but –" The words were halted from coming out of his mouth when his head whipped to the left from a sudden and shockingly strong slap delivered by the grieving woman.

Sachi held L against her with one arm while attempting to slap Light again. "You bastard! You did this! I don't know how, but I know it was your fault!"

Light waved off the officers before they lurched forward to take hold of the maniacal woman. He kept his eyes on her while she gently laid her dead lover on the floor. His scrutiny of her continued as she bent to press one more kiss to L's cold, dead lips. A smile of satisfaction spread across Light's face. He had killed one of his problems. The other he would sentence to a living death. Taking her into his arms, he assisted her with standing. Holding her close to him, he whispered to her with the pretense he was comforting her in her mourning.

"Kill me, Light. Just kill me, please," she implored him, sliding her arms around his waist. Right now she did not care if he used his bare hands to choke the life out of her. She just wanted to die so she could be with L again. Her body and emotions were so numb it did not effect her when his lips brushed across hers.

"No, I won't kill you. I plan to do something far worse to you. You see my dear, I'm going to be L's successor. I want to keep you alive to see me take his place and surpass him. As a matter of fact, I intend to keep you by my side so you can watch me rise to godhood. My plan worked out so perfectly whereas yours and L's failed so miserably. It's tragic really. To see such a magnificent yet bizarre romance ended before it even really had the chance to begin. I'll take care of you," he whispered, sliding his hands into her hair and holding her head while he stared down into her eyes. "You need someone like me to take care of you. You'll need me more than ever now that he's gone."

Shocked and grief stricken, Sachi could not speak or move. She closed her eyes as he pulled her cheek down to his chest, cradling the back of her head in his hand. In her weakened and confused state she did not pull away and allowed him to sway her gently back and forth to comfort her. He promised consolation, solace, and support for her grief stricken mind and body; she needed that more than anything. She tried to think. Thinking would be necessary to figure out what to do next, but her brain could not function through the emotional pain. Run away; she needed to leave and go far from here. It would be imperative for her to get away from the terrifying beast who now held her in his clutches. However, her body was frozen with mourning. Unfortunately, he was correct in his statement – she would depend on him now because she had no one else to help her through the pain. Bastard. She was trapped and he knew it. It would indeed be a life sentence of the harshest torture to be stuck with the man who killed her beloved.

Glancing at L's lifeless body lying at her feet, she began to scream. She did not know if she could stop.


	12. Chapter 11

Sachi woke up feeling confused. She did not know how long she had been unconscious. Thoughts came in mixed up pieces not making any sense. Words and pictures did not fit together and she was aware that she was in so much emotional pain her body ached. L was dead. Oh, god. Now she remembers. Tears burned her eyes and slid from the corners soaking into her hair. She began to relive the tumult of emotions: anger, sadness, despair, all which came with the crushing grief that kept washing over her in waves.

"_Watari is dead too, Sachi," Light had informed her with a smile on his face. _

"No," she gasped out loud from the memory. "They can't be dead."

Sachi heard a grunt and mumbled words from behind her which made her instantly aware of the arm around her waist. She picked up the arm and looked at the watch. Light. Dammit. How long had she been laying here? Why did he feel the need to keep her company? Turning over she came face to face with him. Looking at his handsome face in sleep, his true wicked nature was completely hidden behind a façade of comeliness and simulated innocence.

"Light," she whispered, shaking him gently. He groaned and stirred a bit before settling back in. She slapped him so hard it made her hand sting yelling his name as she did.

"What the hell!" he yelled, pressing his hand to his stinging face. His eyes blinked open and met hers. "Oh, Sachi, you're awake!"

Why does he sound happy and relieved? Sachi's cry of shock and revulsion was covered over by his mouth as he covered hers for a hard, crushing kiss. She could not slap him because he was holding her wrist to prevent her from doing so.

"You've been asleep for days. I was so worried," he murmured, kissing her more gently this time.

"Days?" She twisted her wrist to break free of his grip and rolled away from him.

Sachi sat up, throwing her legs over the edge of the bed. She had to get out of here. She had no idea where she would go or what she would do but there was no way she could stay here. A startled cry burst from her lips when he grabbed her around the waist without warning and pulled her back across the bed to him.

"Where are you going?" Light asked, breathing heavily into her ear while embracing her with a disturbing strength.

"I-I j-just needed to go to the bathroom," she stuttered, her chest heaving painfully for air.

"Hurry back. I think today is the day when I'll show you what it's like to make love to a god," he murmured, kissing her on the cheek.

"I need to take a shower. Be patient," she told him, launching herself off the bed. She felt bile rising in her throat so she hurried into the bathroom.

It burned. There was nothing in her stomach to eject but acid. It scorched her esophagus and mouth. The taste was as bitter as the emotions she felt. When would this pain end? The emotional pain made her feel dead but the physical pain swiftly reminded her she was alive. Her stomach tried to expel more but there nothing there. It was as empty as the rest of her. Once the dry heaves ceased, she curled onto the floor holding her abdomen while her whole body cramped from the spasms. Forcing herself to stand, she brushed her teeth before getting a shower.

"Oh, my god," she moaned, looking at herself in the mirror. She looked as bad as she felt which was truly frightening. Opening her make up bag to apply a bit of makeup when vanity won out over good sense, she found a letter tucked inside.

_My dearest love Sachi,_

_By the time you read this letter I will be dead. I'm sorry for leaving you. My name is L Lawliet. I was an orphan found by Watari and taken to live at a place called Wammy's House. I want you to go there. They will help you and keep you safe. I love you._

She stared at the address written on the bottom corner of the letter. Winchester, England! Digging around in her make up bag, she found a wad of cash, a credit card, an identification card, and a passport. Masako* Lawliet was the name on the ID and passport.

Light banged on the door with such viciousness she thought he would break in. Sachi crammed the items back into her make up bag then shoved them into her purse. She was glad that the closet was in the bathroom so she could dress without going to the bedroom where the monster waited. She hurriedly pulled on jeans and t-shirt while he continued to try to beat down the door.

"Are you okay? What are you doing in there?" he demanded, still hammering on the door.

"Um, I was having a little problem with being sick. I've also developed another problem!"

Go. She had to go. Now she had a refuge to run to called Wammy's House. L was still looking out for her despite being gone. He must have had a suspicion that this would happen. Opening the door, she was greeted with an unpleasant face full of Light.

"Light," she shrieked, backing up a step. Giving him a sheepish grin, she continued. "I need to go to the pharmacy. I need medicine and uh, something else."

"Tell me what you need. I'll get it," he offered, stroking her wan cheek. "Why don't you stay here and eat something?"

Sachi had all she needed to get to her safe house except a way to escape from her present prison. She was working on that at this very moment. If she could just get out of here and to the airport, she would be on her way.

"But I need feminine things for that time of month. I use the pink ones in the black box. Be sure to get the slenders because – "

"No! Never mind! You go get whatever you need," he insisted, digging his wallet out of his back pocket. He pulled out a handful of cash and gave it to her.

Sachi gladly took it, figuring she would need it for her trip anyway. She pushed past him while stuffing the money in her purse. She looked at the bed and winced. The god would be so disappointed. Walking fast, she was halfway through the control him when he caught her.

"Hey!" Light exclaimed, grabbing her wrist and spinning her around to face him. He pressed his lips to hers in a rough, possessive manner as if to remind her that he owned her now. "Hurry back. Don't make me worry."

"Yeah, sure," she returned blandly, offering him a weak smile.

"You're special to me. I couldn't stand it if anything happened to you," he said in a voice loud enough for everyone in the room, including his father, to hear.

Sachi did not respond to that but wiggled out of his arms since they were being watched. She was sure he had done that so when something did happen to her he would not immediately be under investigation as the first suspect. Bastard. Some people deserve to die and Light is definitely one of those. L was not.

'I'll kill you, you bastard. It won't be fast, and it won't be easy. You'll suffer for what you did. You stole something precious from me that you can never give back,' she thought to herself, smiling sincerely at the heinous fiend in front of her. Was there anything else she needed? Her eyes scanned the room, seeing her laptop on the desk beside Light's. L's computer had already been dismantled and removed. His chair was gone as well. Just as her heart felt as if it were caving in, her eyes fell on the notebook lying beside Light's computer.

"Light, is it okay if I get a cup of coffee and something to eat while I'm out?" she inquired sweetly, walking to the desk to retrieve her laptop. She deftly scooted the notebook toward it and slipped it inside of her computer to conceal it. "I'm going to do a little research while I'm out. I won't take too long I promise. I just need to get out of here for a while to clear my head you know."

"If you feel like eating, by all means get something. You have your phone right? Call me in thirty minutes to let me know where you are," he told her.

Sachi gasped when she felt his arms encircle her waist from behind. Closing her eyes, she forced herself to remain calm as his lips brushed across her neck.

"By all means, clear your mind, my darling. I want to be the only one you think about now. I want you to be mine completely," he murmured, kissing her cheek. "I'll help you forget him."

"Sure, Light. I'll be thinking about you all day every day."

Sachi clutched her computer protectively to her chest. Walking calmly to the door, she pondered what she had just said to him. She meant every word. What she did not tell him was that she would be plotting his demise while finding new and intriguing ways to torture him before his end came.

...

* * *

Sachi did in fact stop by a pharmacy on her way to the airport. She bought something for nausea and pills for headaches. Walking down the aisle something unexpected caught her eye. Pregnancy tests. _Find out as soon as the first day of your missed period_, boasted the writing on one package. It would be a week before the first day of her missed period, but she bought it for future use. Her and L had not used protection and there for a few days all they did was spend their time in bed together. Smiling from the memory, thinking about him helped reduce the pain in her heart. Even though it was only a small amount, any lessening of her despair was welcome at this point. There was no doubt in her mind that the nausea she experienced was from her overwhelmed emotional state. After picking up a bottle of herbs that claimed to help calm and soothe nervous conditions, she went to the check out. Whatever else she needed, including clothes, could be bought in England after she arrived at Wammy's House.

At the airport, Sachi tossed her phone into a trash can outside of the terminal. She had considered calling Light, but she wanted to be far from here before he had a clue what had happened. Let the new super detective figure out this mystery. The case of the disappearing girlfriend would be his next biggest challenge.

...

* * *

Sachi gaped at the stately English manor behind the fifteen foot high iron gate. A bronze placard attached to one of the brick columns of the entrance had Wammy's House engraved on it in plain block letters. It was a massive, sprawling building, and she would have thought it was a government office or a church. There was a huge clock tower on the house whose bells began to toll indicating that it was two in the afternoon. The front doors burst open and children poured out as if the floodgates had been opened. Some children ran and screamed while others walked sedately and quietly. She watched with fascination when some of the kids grouped together while others paired off to go run and play. There were a few who chose to be alone, finding solitary, peaceful places under trees to sit and play by themselves.

One boy in particular intrigued her. His shaggy, snow white hair caught her attention first. He was dressed in loose white pajamas that appeared to be two sizes too big for him. He picked a very shady spot and spread out several action figures he had been carrying in his arms along with a bag that contained dozens of dice that were now scattered on the ground.

"Can I help you?" a kind, grandfatherly man asked her on the other side of the gate.

Sachi jumped, screeching from surprise. She did not notice the man's arrival because she had been studying the boy so intently. Digging through her purse, she found the letter from L and handed it to him through the widely spaced bars of the gate.

"I was told to come see you if certain things happen," she said, watching his pale, almost colorless, blue eyes begin to well with tears.

"Is he dead, Miss?" he inquired, his voice shaking as much as his hands.

"Yes, he is," she answered softly, biting her lip as the frail looking little man dug into his pocket for a handkerchief. She felt like crying herself as she watched him remove his glasses to dab at his leaking eyes.

"Watari?"

"Yes. Him too. I'm so sorry," she murmured, feeling tears streaming down her own cheeks.

"I'm Roger Ruvie. You're the one L told me about. I've been expecting you, Masako," he said, using her new name.

_Masako Lawliet. _Even though they never had the chance to get married, L had given her his name when he gave her a new identity.

"Yes, that's me," she returned with a pleasant smile despite her tears.

"Come in, come in!" he happily exclaimed, opening the gate for her. "I'm sure you're tired after your trip here. I have a room ready for you. Welcome home, Mrs. Lawliet."

Sachi cried out for joy and threw her arms around the sweet old man who had just made her heart soar by calling her that.

"Oh, well, um…uh…" he sputtered, blushing brightly from the unexpected affection from the pretty young lady.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry!" she squeaked, covering her mouth as the warmth of embarrassment flooded her face.

"It's quite all right, Miss," he rejoined, straightening his tie and cleaning his fogged glasses. He chuckled lightly and offered her his arm. "I'll show you around. This will be your home after all."

They walked toward the boy with white hair in the awkward crouch with one knee on the ground and the other bent beneath his chin. He did not acknowledge them when they came to stand in front of him.

"This is Near. He's one of L's successors," he told her, relinquishing her arm.

Sachi crouched down in front of him. She did not try to touch him but stared at him intensely until he raised his dark eyes to her. They looked black but they were actually a dark gray. She held his piercing gaze as they silently studied each other.

"What is your name?" he inquired, his eyes remaining locked with hers.

"Masako," she answered succinctly.

"How old are you?"

"A lady never tells her age. How old are you?"

"I won't tell you my age then either," he countered with a snarky edge to his voice. "Who are you?"

"I already told you," she replied.

"No, you didn't. You gave me your name. That is different from who you are. I also know that is not your real name. Who are you?" he repeated, his gaze not wavering.

He had read her facial cues to determine that she was lying. Amazing.

Sachi stared at the young man who suddenly reminded her of L. His eyes drilled into hers and she wondered if L's eyes would have been this color if they had not been fully dilated all of the time.

"I am a very good friend of L's. You can think of me as your big sister," she told him.

"I don't want a sister," he remarked bluntly with a toneless and solemn voice.

"Most kids don't. Congratulations, you've just been adopted as my little brother…whether you like it or not."

* * *

*Masako means Justice


	13. Chapter 12

Near observed her from a distance; the woman with shoulder length curly red hair who was tickling her giggling four year old son. He loved her. He had since the moment he first saw her. She had looked different then: long dark brown hair and a fragile sickly body, but her eyes had captivated him. She had gazed at him so thoughtfully, so unafraid, with those big brown eyes. There was a kindness about her and her determination to love him that had stirred something within him he did not know existed. He had never cared much for human beings as a whole, but there were a few who meant something to him and she was one of them. She was probably the first on his list or a close tie with Roger Ruvie. She and Roger were the only people that could handle him and all of his idiosyncrasies.

Near silently went to her, sitting on the ground beside her. Not a word was spoken between them. They had developed a relationship that exceeded words and made them useless sometimes. This was one of those times. His hand moved over the inky black hair of the child in her arms. He allowed a rare smile to lift the corners of his lips to return the smile of the exceptional child snuggled against her chest.

Hideki Lawliet, a true successor of L in that he was L's flesh and blood. She was pregnant with him when she arrived here but had not known it yet. He will never forget the day she confirmed her pregnancy.

* * *

_It was a day like any other. They had just completed their last lesson for the day. Masako had taken it upon herself to become his teacher as well as his sister. She could be quite determined, stubborn, and an all-around pain in the ass. But so could he. He needed someone like her. He was in his room playing darts when he heard her shrill scream rip through the house to interrupt everyone's peaceful day. When he found her in the bathroom, Roger was already there. The scene was so terribly confusing because she was sobbing furiously with a smile on her face. She was happy but why was she crying?_

"_His baby. I'm having his baby. L left me with the most wonderful present. I now have a part of him forever," she had bawled while Roger patted her on the shoulder to comfort her._

_When her belly began to grow, Near began to ask questions and she answered as best as she could without being too graphic. After her belly got so big he thought she would explode, a doctor came to the manor one day and stayed for a very long time. No one would allow him to see Masako and for the first time his life he was afraid. He was terrified she would be taken away from him. Late that night when everyone was asleep, he crept into her room. A strange mewling sound like a kitten met his ears and he followed the sound to what looked like a doll's crib beside her bed._

"_L's baby," he gasped, crouching down beside the bed to get a closer look._

_For a long time Near studied the tiny creature lying in the bed. It looked like a doll but it was alive. It moved and breathed and grunted and sighed. The fuzzy black hair stuck out from the baby's head in all directions. Reaching out tentatively, he touched the chubby little cheek with his forefinger. He had never touched anything so soft. The baby wiggled and sighed noisily. He stared at his finger as the tiny little fingers of the child wrapped around it. He resisted the urge to pull back as the miniscule digits grasped his forefinger tightly and held on._

"_Near? Near, honey, what are you doing in here?" Masako asked, sitting up in the bed._

"_I was worried about you. No one would tell me what was going on. This is L's baby," he stated rather than asked._

"_Yes, he is. I named him Hideki because that was the name L gave me when we first met," she explained._

"_Does this mean you won't love me anymore? Since you're a mommy will you not be my big sister?" he asked, staring up at her._

"_What? Oh, honey, no. Come here," she said, pulling back the blanket and patting the bed next to her._

_Near crawled into the bed beside her lying down as she wrapped her arms around him. He closed his eyes when she kissed his cheek. She was the only person he allowed to touch him. _

"_I love you, Near. You remind me of him you know," she whispered, brushing his cheek with hers. _

"_Is that why you cry sometimes when you stare at me?"_

_Masako felt her chest tighten when he asked her that. She never knew he noticed. "Yes. I'm not crying because I'm sad. I'm crying because I'm happy. It's like I still have him here with me in you. Now I have Hideki too so I'm doubly happy."_

_Near felt a smile tugging at his lips when she began to stroke his hair. Soon he was asleep in her arms._

* * *

Near took a deep breath before glancing at her briefly. He looked at Hideki, kissing the sleeping child on the forehead. Putting his arm around her, his eyes moved to the horizon to watch the setting sun.

"I have to go to the United States. They're ready to hear the evidence I've gathered on Kira. I would like for you to go with me. You're a big part of this," he said, stroking her deep auburn curls.

It was her who had given him the laptop computer full of files and information from the Kira case as well as the notebook. He had spent the last few years gathering more information particularly on events that occurred after her departure from Light Yagami.

"I know. I just don't want to leave Hideki. It's too dangerous for me to bring him with me though," she murmured, clutching the child to her body tightly. "Near, do something for me."

"I'd do anything for you," he rejoined, pulling her to his side.

"Take him down. Destroy Light Yagami. He's the one who killed Hideki's father. If I had not run away, I would have been his prisoner. He probably would have treated me no better than a concubine. I would have been a captive and a sex slave," she spat out as if the words tasted as bitter as she felt in this moment. "I hate him, Near."

Near looked into her eyes. He did not like what he saw. Gone was the compassion, the love, to be replaced with something sinister and cruel.

"Come with me, please. I need you," he pled with her. He was being selfish, and he knew it. Sometimes he had a proclivity to do that especially where she was concerned.

"Near, I – "

"Masako, please," he begged, tipping up her chin to look into her beautiful brown eyes that had once again softened. "Let's annihilate him together."

~\..'../~

* * *

Masako sat in the President's office listening to Near dictate the extensive amount of information he had gathered as if he were simply replaying a recording straight from his brain. She watched him as he sat in a half L crouch with one knee under his chin and the other foot on the floor. He twisted a lock of his white hair around his forefinger to think like L once chewed on his thumb to boost his brain power. Nervously pulling on her tailored navy blue suit she resisted the impulse to cry. She was bombarded with thoughts of L as well as the harrowing memory of leaving her son. Roger had done his best to comfort the screaming panicked child who had never been away from his mother. She felt sorry for the sweet old man who began to cry along with Hideki in sympathy.

"Ma'am, are you all right?" the aid standing next to her inquired.

"Could I have a glass of water, please?" she inquired, standing up to walk around a bit. "I'm sorry, Near."

Masako had not meant to interrupt him in the middle of delivering his findings. She knew he would be able to pick right up where he left off despite her distraction. Walking out of the room, she ran into what she thought was a wall at first. Looking up, her eyes met a pair of luminescent blue eyes under meticulously slicked back blond hair.

"I wasn't paying attention to where I was walking. I'm sorry," she apologized, smiling at him. He was a very good looking man and she could not keep herself from noticing. Immediately feeling guilty for betraying L's memory with even making the observation of his attractiveness, she cleared her throat and backed away from him.

"I'm Anthony Rester. I will be the one taking care of you and Near. You're his caretaker, right?" he asked, smiling brilliantly at her. "Masako Lawliet?"

"Yes, that's me," she proudly answered. She never tired of hearing her new name that L had given her especially since part of it was his.

"This meeting could take a while. Would you like to go to your hotel to rest? I can bring Near when he's done here," he told her, reaching out to touch her arm.

Masako felt a surge of warmth to her cheeks and immediately jerked away from him. She regretted it when she saw a blush creep over his fair skinned cheeks. "No. I'd really rather stay with him. He does not like it when I'm far away and – "

"I understand," he replied, gazing at her with his intense pale blue eyes. "But the both of you will have to trust me sooner or later. Why not start now?"

Masako sighed heavily in defeat. He was correct.

"Mr. Rester –"

"You can call me Anthony. Actually, I'd prefer it if you call me Tony," he said, blushing deeply.

Masako knew that implied a certain familiarity she was not comfortable with yet. He was still a stranger to her. Since L's death and becoming a mother, she had become something of a frigid prude where men were concerned.

"Mr. Rester, I would prefer to stay here today. If you would like to wait with me, we can talk and get to know each other a little more," she stated in a very tight, agitated voice.

"I apologize, I did not mean to offend you," he said, bowing to her to show his sincerity.

Masako took the glass of water from the polite female aid who returned to the President's office. She sat down on the couch, staring at the presidential seal on the royal blue carpet in front of her. Her eyes briefly moved to Anthony Rester who sat down in the chair positioned at a corner next to the couch.

"Ms. Lawliet, how did you become involved in the Kira case?" he inquired, clasping his hands between his knees as he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees.

Masako told him the story editing out certain information for propriety and her own privacy. The pain of L's death was just as severe as it had been when it first happened. The only difference now was that she did not cry anymore. She spoke in a monotone as if she were narrating a story instead of telling him a part of her intimate and wounding life history. Apparently, she already trusted him to a great degree by the information she was sharing. However, she knew there would be full disclosure sooner or later. Her body responded with a shiver when she pondered what it would be like when she meets Light again. Would he recognize her? Would he write her name in his damnable book? Obviously the Death Note she had stolen that day was not the only one the police had been in possession of or Light had one of his own that he had kept hidden. That devious bastard. She had never hated someone so aggressively and completely in all her life.

"Mr. Rester, tell me about yourself. It's only fair don't you think?" she probed, looking into his eyes.

"You have a high sense of fairness don't you, Ms. Lawliet?" he asked, giving her one of those million dollar smiles.

"Yes. I believe whatever one gives another person, they should receive the same in return," she said, managing to smile without looking maniacal. She meant every word she had spoken and that is why Light Yagami will die.

Anthony Rester launched into a lengthy and unfortunately boring monologue of his life. It seemed like something out of a book, a perfect middle class American upbringing. He was the high school football hero, prom king, and class valedictorian. While attending college, he was once again the celebrated football star who always had some pretty college co-ed hanging from his arm. After graduating with a dual major in criminology and computer forensics, he was recruited by the FBI. And here he sits today putting a grown woman to sleep with his disturbingly typical life story.

"Hey, Halle," he called to a fellow agent in the room who would be working on this case with him. He took Masako into his arms, glad she was asleep so he would not insult her delicate sensibilities again by touching her. "I'm taking Ms. Lawliet to the hotel. I'll be back later for Near."

...

* * *

"Near!" Masako called out in alarm when she woke up in an unfamiliar place. Looking around, she surmised she was in a hotel room. When and how did she get here? "NEAR!"

"I'm right here," he responded calmly, walking into the room. He sat down on the bed beside her, grunting when she hugged him so tight it squeezed the air out of him. He could not help but smile when she kissed him on the lips. She did not do that often, but he liked it every time she did.

"You scared me! I don't know what I'd do without you," she murmured, running her fingers through his thick shaggy white hair. She kissed him again, this time on the cheek.

Near would not admit it if someone asked him but he liked the fact she depended on him as much as he did her. They had a truly codependent relationship and _needed_ each other to maintain their very existence. Boldly, he pressed his lips to hers which she did not seem to notice. Lately, his eighteen year old body and mind had been having cravings and thoughts he had never experienced before. It did not matter to him that she was five years older than him. She was the only woman he could ever love. The love he had for her that had started out as something familial had become more for him over the past several months. He knew she still viewed him as a child because she treated him as one. Of course if he did not act like a child it might help change her perspective. He masked his romantic feelings for her and tried to push them aside as inappropriate since they were unrequited and never should be admitted.

"Near? Why are you staring at me like that?" Masako asked, touching his cheek with her fingertips.

"What? Oh, nothing," he responded, twisting his hair around his finger. "I'm just tired.

"Then lie down next to me and go to sleep," she encouraged him, patting the bed in front of her.

Without a word, Near crawled over her and took her into his arms. He kissed her cheek holding her tightly against his chest. "I'm not a child anymore, Masako. I'm a man. Let me hold you and you can sleep in my arms for a change."


	14. Chapter 13

Masako was at her computer typing as were the other members of the newly formed group named the Special Provision for Kira headed by Near. Near had requested she work on finding Mello while the others were busy with Kira. Besides, he wanted to avoid her having interaction with Light as long as possible. He was building an extensive city made of dice on the long table in front of him when the phone rang.

Steve Mason, the FBI director and creator of the SPK, answered the phone. After the hello there was long pause during which his eyes grew progressively wider as he listened to the garbled, disguised voice.

"Give me the phone, Mason," Near said after a few exchanges.

"This is L," declared the distorted voice.

Near's eyes moved to Masako who was blissfully unaware that he was on the phone with Light Yagami. He watched her intently because that was about to change.

"Nice to meet you L number two," Near stated calmly, twisting his hair. He observed her head pop up and her back go ramrod straight. She was aware of the identity of the caller now.

"Number two? What do you mean by that? There's only one L," Yagami dared to declare.

'Yes, you bastard and you killed him,' Near thought to himself keeping his eyes on Masako as she slowly rose to her feet.

"Who are you?" Light demanded.

"I am the leader of a group developed to catch Kira _without _the help of L. You can call me N. We know about L's death so there's no need to keep up the pretense," Near informed him. He grasped the hand that she laid on his shoulder. "The CIA and the FBI will now depend on me for their decisions, not L."

Masako was too busy thinking to hear another word that was said. So he did it. Light really took over L's position and stole his name. Did he even know how to create anything of his own? He seemed to be capable only of stealing what belonged to the others including their lives and not excluding their identities.

"Masako?" Near squeezed her hand. He had completed the phone call that was his introduction to the 'new' L. "He needs our help. His sister has been kidnapped. He believes it is the same person who killed the Deputy Director of the NPA and they are going to kill her as well."

"Then help him save her. There is no reason for Sayu to suffer for the sins of her brother," she stated in a low, menacing voice.

"Are you all right?" he asked, looking up at her with concern in his eyes.

"I will be. Eventually. I need to take a walk now," she announced in a calm voice that was devoid of emotion.

"Masa –" Anthony Rester began, moving to go after her to be promptly stopped by Near.

"Let her go. She needs some time alone. She just had unpleasant reminder of her past," Near told him.

Anthony took a deep breath releasing it slowly. He already knew that. Judging by her reaction, there was a whole lot more to her story that she did not tell him. He looked down at the solemn boy gripping his shirt sleeve and decided to do as he asked. Turning away, he paced the stretch of floor behind the bank of computers.

...

* * *

Masako sat down on the low brick wall at the front of the building. She had walked until her feet were sore. Her heart ached. Rocking herself to soothe her hurting heart, the tears began to slide down her cheeks. She missed L and she missed her son. Her arms longed for the feeling of her baby in them again; to kiss his cheek and run her fingers through his ridiculously unmanageable hair that was already as unruly as his father's had been. The only trait Hideki possessed of hers was brown eyes. A sob tore from her chest with such force it caused her to grab her heart. It was breaking all over again. She would never ever see L again. At least she had a part of him left in his son.

Masako was startled by a pair of strong arms going around her body to hold her as she fell apart. She glanced up seeing sad blue eyes looking down at her. Her body stiffened and she pushed on his broad chest. A cry of frustration at his stubbornness to let her go escaped her. Her arms felt weak and useless as she continued to struggle against the big, strong man.

"Mr. Rester, I don't think this is – "

"Please just shut up and let me hold you. Just cry, Masako," he whispered to her, his lips grazing her cheek.

Masako gave in. She leaned forward resting her cheek on his broad shoulder. When his brawny arms tightened around her body, drawing her close, she did not resist. Instead, she did as he had told her: she cried. Her body shuddered with the powerful wails that poured from her while the tears flooded down her cheeks and dripped from her chin. She had never really completely grieved for L. She was afraid if she let go of the pain she would be letting go of him. But her body and mind could no longer bear the burden of holding on to the sorrow and hurt.

"I-I'm s-so s-sorry," she stuttered, trying to calm herself. She was mortified for completely losing control of her emotions in the arms of a total stranger. How humiliating.

"It's okay. It's really okay," he assured her, stroking her tear covered cheeks with his thumbs. He kissed her forehead, hearing her gasp.

"Anthony, don't," she begged, her breath coming in loud gasps. She was not sure if her struggle for oxygen was due to her violent crying fit or the touch of his soft lips on her forehead. Her body had responded like any woman's would to a handsome man touching her. She had not been touched romantically since L, and it frightened her.

"You called me Anthony," he pointed out, kissing her cheek. He licked the cold salty tears from his lips.

"Y-yes I did. Mr. Rester, please don't do this," she pled with him, looking into his blue eyes that seemed to glow.

"I'm sorry. I suppose I got carried away trying to comfort you. You're too beautiful to cry like that. I'm sorry for whatever has caused you that much pain. Was it Kira?" he asked, still holding her close to him.

"Yes," she answered, laying her head down on his strong shoulder.

She had to admit to herself that being in his arms made her feel safe and secure. It was different than being held by Near. Near was nothing more than a little brother to her and a big brother to Hideki. There was a comfortable closeness with him that she did not have to feel embarrassed for losing control in front of him. Safety and security was a given in his arms because they were family and they loved each other. Mr. Anthony Rester, however, could be considered temptation on a platter for her and definitely would have been several years ago. He had a large powerful body and all American good looks. He was a living cliché but an attractive one with virility and sex appeal to spare.

"Who did he take from you?" he asked, sliding his fingers through her curly hair. He liked the feeling of her bouncy curls in his palm and continued to play with them.

"Would you stop doing that? I feel like a toy. You're playing with me," she accused teasingly, immediately lowering her eyes as a dark blush crept across her cheeks.

"Now, who's being inappropriate Ms. Lawliet?" he shot back with mock offense.

They both chuckled briefly and he lowered his hand from her hair. He flattened his palm against her back, pulling her toward him.

"Forgive me," he murmured, lowering his lips to hers. He decided to ask for forgiveness now and forego asking for permission ever to kiss her because he already knew she would never grant it.

Masako made a squeaking sound that was a mixture of surprise and protest when his lips met hers. She did not fight him which she already knew would prove to be useless anyway. Her hands went to his face, holding his finely sculpted jaw in her palms. The kiss felt nice. It was sweet and slow. Thankfully he ended it without pushing toward something more passionate.

"Mr. Rester, you're a very nice man and you're incredibly attractive, but I can't. The person Kira took from me was the real L. I'm the mother of his child. I'd like to think L would have been my husband and we would be a happy little family if he had not been murdered," she explained, smiling sadly at him as he stared at her in shock.

"Oh, no wonder. I'm so sorry," he apologized, kissing her forehead. He released her from his arms, standing up. "I'm sorry."

"It's all right," she assured him, meeting his kind gaze.

"Are you coming back in?" he inquired, offering her a shy smile.

"Not yet. I need a little more time."

"Okay."

Masako watched him walk away. Releasing the breath she had been holding, she shook her head vigorously to clear her mind. No more investigative romances – EVER! She lingered for several more minutes before returning inside.

...

Near was sitting on the floor in his usual half crouch positioning his action figures. He was playing out a scenario for the upcoming mission to save Sayu Yagami. His eyes followed Masako as she walked past him to go upstairs. Forsaking determining the possible outcomes for now, he dropped the figure in his hand and trailed after her. He could always come back to that later. He did not sleep much anymore since they had come to the United States to begin the Kira investigation in earnest. Opening the door without knocking, just like he usually does, he saw her sitting on the edge of the bed crying.

Masako opened her arms for him, and he obediently came to her. She pulled him down on the bed beside her and into her arms.

"What is it?" he asked, holding her trembling body in his arms.

"I'm just having a hard time dealing with it today. If I let go of the pain, will I be letting go of L? Will I be betraying his memory? Will I lose my desire to kill Light?" she inquired, pressing her forehead to his.

Near was not sure what she was talking about with her first two questions but the last one he understood perfectly. He knew he was completely inept with emotional matters, especially those of a woman. Somehow he knew he was not much different than any other male in being totally mystified with the emotional peculiarities of women. His hands moved to her face and he nuzzled his nose against hers. Some of her tears rubbed off on his cheeks which she reached up to wipe away with her shaking fingers. His body responded in its new bizarre and sometimes disturbing way when her fingers drifted across his lips. The dull throbbing started as blood rushed to the area between his legs, filling it up and making it grow. He pressed his lips to hers, allowing them to linger until she reacted in some way. He held his breath when she kissed him back. She was kissing him like a woman would a man and his arms encircled her tightly. A pulsating ache pounded through him causing him to moan. Unfortunately, the sound broke her from her reverie of kissing him and snapped her back to reality.

"Near, I'm sorry," she gasped, pulling away.

They were both momentarily stunned by what had just happened. 'Oh, my god! He's just a child for god's sake!' her brain screamed at her. Feeling the heat of shame cover her face with the thought that she was taking advantage of a mere boy, she stood up to walk to the window.

Masako winced when she felt his hands on her back moments before they slid around her waist. She closed her eyes and sighed deeply when his head pressed into her back. He was actually shorter than her by several inches despite her being short even for a woman. This in itself also prevented her from seeing him as a grown up.

"I love you," he whispered, hugging her gently.

"I love you too, honey," she rejoined, not wanting to turn around to face him as he pulled on her shoulder. "Near, please don't do that again."

"I was just trying to show you I love you. I'm sorry if I went a little too far. You know I'm still quite unaware of social boundaries," he said in excuse trying to cover up his purposeful actions with feigned ignorance.

Masako smiled and kissed him on the forehead. He was so much like the man she loved dearly even now in his death. She sighed and laid her head on his shoulder, enjoying the comfortable embrace with which he held her.

"Despite what you think, I'm no longer that thirteen year old child you meet so long ago," he told her.

"Near, you're five years younger than me and you still play with toys. How could I think otherwise?" she laughed lightly.

"You know that helps me deliberate matters to a fuller extent. It's easier to visualize by seeing and touching objects to assist with thinking things through rather than to just let the thoughts aimlessly wander through my brain. That's how I reason things out," he calmly replied.

He decided to switch subjects instead of continuing to argue about this. If she was going to accept him as a man or anything more, it would have to be on her own terms. What would be the point of coaxing a reluctant woman into a relationship she was not sure she wanted to be in or was ready for? Now was not the time for this sort of thing anyway and he knew that. There was something important she needed to know.

"Light is coming to Los Angeles. Once he arrives we will put the plan into motion to rescue his sister," he told her. "I don't want you involved with this in any way."

Masako allowed the glut of emotions to make her go numb. There was too much overpowering ire and loathing to permit herself to feel it all. He's coming. Light would be within her grasp, but she would have to wait for the right time.

"Do you know what you're going to do yet?" Near asked, pushing a stray curl behind her ear.

"Yes. I will wait until the time is right then I will kill him," she stated in the low sinister voice that he hated. The details were something she always kept to herself. She had that faraway look in her eyes as if she had been mentally transported to a different state of being. A creepy little smile of ominous delight lifted the corners of her otherwise pretty mouth. "Near, will you still love me when I'm a murderer?"

His dark gray eyes settled on her face contorted by the animosity she carried for Light Yagami. He swallowed hard to rid himself of the choking lump that had formed in his throat. He hoped one day she could love him half as much as she did L. Sometimes he found himself jealous of the dead man she loved so fiercely. At times like this he was afraid of the woman he loved because she seemed to have an infinite capacity for hate as well as love.

"I'll always love you no matter what," he assured her, embracing her and pressing his face into her neck.

"Good. If anything happens to me, take care of Hideki for me."

"Nothing will happen."

"You don't know Light like I do. I must warn you, if things go wrong during the attempt to save Sayu, he won't think twice about killing her to save his ass and the damn Death Note."


	15. Chapter 14

Light failed – miserably. In less pleasant terms, he fucked up big time. He was losing his touch apparently. Whoever had abducted his sister got one over on him. He lost the Death Note, but thankfully Sayu was saved. However, there was still another in his possession because criminals were still dying in Japan. Where did he get all of them? It did not matter. The most important thing was that Light had finally encountered someone more crafty and deceitful than him, and they had won.

Masako smiled mirthlessly feeling giddy and lightheaded from the boundless malevolent glee that filled her from his dismal failure. 'Whose plans failed miserably this time you bastard?' she thought to herself. She was on her way to a bakery for a celebratory piece of cake and coffee. She would be celebrating to honor the memory of L as well since he could not be here to enjoy this. If only she could meet the person responsible for this.

...

"Excuse me," a deep male voice called to her from behind when she was on her way back to Near from her little private party for one.

Masako turned to see a blonde man who had left her as a boy five years ago. She had spent barely a month with him because he had promptly deserted them when Roger refused to immediately name him as L's sole successor. He despised Near and had refused to cooperate with him in any way. He had wanted to be the _only_ king on L's throne.

"Mello?" she asked, looking into his blue eyes. There was hardness coupled with an alarming maliciousness in his eyes that had not been there before.

"Yes, it's me. You're even more beautiful Masako. Motherhood suits you well," he complimented, eyeing her larger breasts before his gaze meandered down to her fuller hips. "It looks very good on you."

"Stop it, Mello. You're being a pervert," she chided him, drawing her sweater around her tighter. She felt chilled but not from the wind. "I'm like your big sister."

"You're not my big sister. You never were. I'm glad about that," he said, reaching out to caress her cheek.

"Stop!" she snapped, pulling away from the intimate touch.

"Koko," he murmured, using the nickname only he called her. "I always had a crush on you. Seeing you again makes me believe I'm in love with you."

"Love?" she scoffed, backing away as he stepped toward her. "What do you know about love? I don't think you even love yourself."

"You look so happy," he remarked, choosing to ignore her comment. "Who has put such a joyful smile on your face?" He brought his hand to her face, stroking her cheek again. He smirked with satisfaction when she did not flinch or even break eye contact with him. Her unbreakable spirit had always been one of her most attractive qualities. "Would it be the person who finally beat Light Yagami?"

Masako gaped momentarily, her pulse racing and her heart beating faster at the revelation. She should have known it was Mello; he is the only person on Light's level of mercilessness. Now she actually wanted to give him a hug and a kiss but was afraid of the liberties he would take after that. Her eyes met his as she pulled herself together and made the startled expression disappear from her face.

"It's only a momentary victory. He will be back to get you. He's an extremely sore loser," she stated coldly, staring at him with an expression of jaded disinterest.

"Don't you think I at least deserve a kiss? I know how much you hate him. I thought you would be proud of me for once," he said, the sound of disappointment creeping into his voice.

"Mello," she sighed, reaching out to touch his face. She chewed on her lower lip nervously when his hand covered hers, pressing her palm to his cheek. "I was always proud of you. You just did not stick around long enough to know that."

He closed his eyes to savor the feeling of her hand against his skin. He had wanted more of her attention but she was so fixated on Near. Opening his eyes, he felt the anger consume him from thoughts of his white headed nemesis.

"I'll be better than Near someday. You'll see. The best, the brightest, the absolute victor. I want you to be there with me," he murmured, seizing her and pressing his lips to hers.

Masako did not react because she was too stunned. She glared at him when he backed away from her a few steps. Her hand sprung up, slapping him across the face. Her eyes skimmed over his slender body clad in leather. The only visible muscles were the long, lean muscles in his arms bared by the leather vest he was wearing. She shuddered violently at the disturbing leer on his face as he held his hand over his injured cheek.

"No. You can't take me in a physical altercation. Don't even try, Koko," he warned her, grabbing her wrists.

"Let me go," she growled, trying to wrench herself free. He slowly, menacingly drew her toward him. She cried out when he squeezed her wrists sending a jolt of pain up her arms.

"Don't fight me. It will hurt less if you don't fight," he told her, loosening his grip when she allowed him to pull her without resistance.

"No, Mello, please," she implored him, avoiding his intense gaze and lascivious grin.

"Please what?" He wanted her to beg but there was a certain thing he wanted her to beg for. Being free from his grasp was not it.

"Please stop," she begged.

"No," he answered bluntly, sliding his thin but strong arms around her. "You knew how I felt about you. I'm sure you could see it when I would stare at you. I almost stayed just for you. But I couldn't. I have to prove that I'm better than Near. I have to be the best."

"There's too much hate inside of you to ever top him, Mello. You'll always be second best no matter what you do because in the end you're a coward. The thing you're most afraid of is yourself," she ground out through her teeth.

Mello pushed her back to distance himself from her. They scowled at each other in silence for what seemed to be an inordinately long length of time. With unexpected swiftness and strength, he backhanded her so powerfully it knocked her to the ground.

Masako lay on the cold sidewalk watching stars swirl in her vision. Until this moment she thought that only happened to cartoon characters. She had never been hit that hard before by anyone. Pressing her palms against the concrete, she forced herself to a sitting position despite the pain in her jaw. She waited until he came closer to her then kicked up with her high heeled shoe to kick him in the abdomen. When he bent over to hold his aching belly, she kicked him across the face. Her heel dug into his cheek, splitting open the flesh. Standing to her feet a bit unsteadily, she stared at him as he pressed his fingers to his cheek.

Mello stared at the wet crimson fluid on his fingers. It was apparent he was wondering how in the hell she did that. She had always been feisty but never a fighter of physical battles. He was not the only one who had changed apparently. Licking the blood from his fingers, he watched her cringe with atrocious delight.

"I always did like that about you. You're so damn spirited and obstinate. You should have stayed down, Koko." Before she knew what hit her, literally, he swung upward to catch her under the jaw with a punishing uppercut from a closed fist this time to knock her unconscious. "Good night, my love. We'll have a special family reunion when you wake up."

~\..'../~

* * *

Masako awoke to being petted. A gentle hand was making long strokes from her scalp all the way to the ends of her hair on her shoulders. The fingers skimmed across her shoulders with a butterfly like pressure tickling her slightly. She kept her breathing measured and low, pretending to still be asleep. Her cheek lay against warm soft skin covering taut muscles. Under the guise of moving in her sleep, she wiggled around a bit allowing her hand to move across whatever and whoever she was laying on. Her fingers glided across the skin and over smooth, supple fabric that was like a second skin on the firm body. Leather? Oh, god no! Keeping as calm as possible under the circumstances, she moaned to cover the gasp that had accidentally escaped her when she realized her head was lying on Mello's abdomen. Kicking around a bit she heard a clanking, metallic sound. It was then she made another disturbing discovery: she was completely naked, wearing shackles and chains on her wrists and ankles.

This time she could not remain unresponsive. Sitting up in the bed, Masako screamed. She quickly stopped because of the pain that stabbed her head and jaw. Little asshole! It hurt dreadfully where he had struck her. Grabbing at the sheet that fell around her waist, she tried to cover her bare breasts.

"Don't!" Mello exclaimed, grabbing her hands. His tongue licked out across his lips while his eyes took in the sight of her breasts.

'Could he not have done this while I was asleep? What did he do to me while I was asleep? How long have I been unconscious?' she pondered silently avoiding his eyes as he stared at her body. She did not feel sore anywhere especially certain parts of her anatomy so she presumed that she had not been violated sexually.

"Don't!" She hurled the one word command back at him, jerking away from his hand when he reached out to touch her. She scooted backwards until her back contacted the headboard of the bed. Her eyes slowly lifted to his to see an amused smirk brimming with satisfaction on his face.

Masako pulled the sheet up to her chin while her mind swirled with fearful thoughts. She closed her eyes to concentrate on pushing the thoughts out of her mind. It was important to think so she could get out of here. Where was here? She had no idea where she was in addition to being naked and shackled. What could she possibly do?

"Where am I?" she questioned, already knowing it was useless but she had to keep him occupied so he would not touch her. She clutched the sheet as he edged toward her. Her eyes followed the movements of his hands carefully.

"You already know trying to escape is pointless don't you? It doesn't matter where you are because you are with me. You've been asleep for about two days. I was beginning to fear I had hit you a little too hard. Sometimes I don't know my own strength," he stated with unrestrained egotism. "I'm so glad I have you in my life once again. I've missed you terribly. I want you."

"You're full of shit," she growled, staring at him with fierce anger. "This has nothing to do with sex. Your biggest triumph is hurting Near as much as possible you sadistic little fucker."

"Oh! My sweet Masako, what a filthy mouth you have," he drawled with excitement showing on his face and in his tight leather pants. "What should I do to my little girl who has such a dirty mouth?"

"Little girl, my ass. I'm older than you by three years you little – " Her words were cut off by a hard slap delivered to her face with a shocking ferocity. She gaped at him, momentarily stunned and highly offended that he had struck her again. Enough.

Masako threw back the sheet and lunged at him. She straddled his thighs while wrapping the chain between her wrists around his neck. Pulling her wrists apart as hard as possible, she smiled when he made a sound that was a combination of choking and gagging. Her eyes looked into his bulging blue ones as he clawed at her naked belly to make her let go. She was unable to scream when he wrapped his arms around her body pulling her against him. She was strangling him while he was keeping her from breathing by compressing her ribs around her lungs. So this was how it ends: she and Mello killing each other while Light is left to murder indiscriminately. Her mind shifted to thoughts of Hideki and Near which caused her to let go. She had too many reasons to live to die this way. When she lowered her wrists to loosen up the chains for him to breath, he released her so she could do the same.

"Stop, Mello," she begged, not caring that his face was crammed between her breasts. She was too busy trying to refill her starving lungs with oxygen.

Mello held her as he panted for air himself. That was incredibly stimulating in several ways including sexually. Sometimes change was a good thing, and he liked the changes in her. She was no longer the frail, helpless woman so devastated by grief that she could barely function. His tongue darted out to lick the brownish pink nipple brushing across his lips while she noisily drew in deep breaths.

"Stop it!" she squealed, wiggling on top of him which only served to arouse him more as her body moved over the uncomfortable bulge in his pants.

"You stop it!" he yelled back, pushing her off of him and down onto the bed.

They lay side by side on their backs, gasping for air. Both of them were contemplating what to do at this time. Mello was considering tempting her to have sex with him. Masako was making plans as to where to hit him first if he touched her again. Their minds continued to run through random thoughts on divergent paths. However, they did have a few intersecting roads on a few ideas. They both had a common enemy in Light Yagami so there had to be some way for them to work together.

"Can I fuck you?" Mello dared to inquire with ridiculous boldness.

"No, you little asshole," she growled, elbowing him ferociously in the ribs. "Want to help me take down Light Yagami?"

"Yeah. At least that's something we can agree on," he replied.

"Will you take off these shackles and chains?"

"No."

"I'll try to choke you again if you don't."

Mello dug for the key in his pocket. Sitting up beside her, he removed the shackles from her wrists. He tenderly massaged the bruised and torn flesh.

"I'm sorry," he murmured, kissing her wrists.

Masako closed her eyes willing her body _not _to feel the sensations it was feeling. She felt him slide his hands down her leg to her ankles to take off the metal binds.

"Take me back to, Near," she ordered, opening her eyes to look at him. Her eyes met his and saw the stubborn hate there at the mention of his name. "Will you let me talk to him at least?"

"No. But I will let him know that you are all right. For now, at least temporarily, you are mine," he informed her, pressing his hand against her cheek. "If you stay with me without trying to get away, I promise not to hurt Near. Or you."

Masako held his intense gaze for a long moment before sighing loudly in resignation. What could she do? At this time all he had to do was chain her back up to hold her captive and abuse her at his leisure. This would also leave him free to go after Near which he would do at the first opportune time. With her gone, Near would be distracted and unfocused making him an easy target for Mello because he was already dealing with Light/Kira. As long as she stayed with the vindictive blonde, she could keep an eye on him and keep him busy concocting a scheme to take revenge on the continuous problem of Light Yagami. Near at least would be safe. Glancing at the horny blonde sliding his hand up her leg with a sly gentleness, she knew her own safety would be another matter entirely.

"Make the call to Near to let him know I'm safe. I want to be there to hear it," she told him, stopping his hand before he touched something he should not. "Be careful with those hands. You really should not play with fire or you might get burned."


	16. Chapter 15

"Koko, wake up," Mello murmured, massaging her breast and pinching the nipple. He knew that would get her moving.

Masako slapped him across the face so hard he nearly fell off the bed. "I'm awake. What do you want?" she asked through her gritted teeth.

"Do you want to talk to Near?" he inquired, waving a phone in her face.

She was instantly awake and grabbed the phone. "Near, honey," she gasped into it.

"Are you okay?" he asked her, getting right to the point as usual.

"I'm fine," she answered. She wanted to ask him how things were going with the case, but she knew he could not answer that.

"When are you coming back?" he inquired.

Masako moved her eyes to Mello's face with the unspoken question. When could she leave? She did not even know how long she had been here with him. He had been working with her to improve her physical skills as well as her mental aptitude so she would be prepared for Light. This did not deter him from making the occasional pass at her which included 'accidental' touches during sparring or outright requests which were met with physical punishment from her. She wondered if he did it on purpose as part of her training, but she was sure he was sincere about it on a certain level for his own self-centered, carnal interests.

"I'm not sure," she replied when the blonde shook his head. "Soon. I love you."

"I love you too," Near readily admitted over the phone not caring who heard.

Mello snatched the phone from her, snapping it closed to end the call. He stared down at her releasing a heavy sigh of aggravation.

"How much do you love him? Is he the reason you won't give in to me?" he demanded, straddling her belly.

"I love him with all of my heart and not for the reasons you think you twisted, sick little fu – " Her words were clipped by him pressing his lips to hers.

"Is that any way to talk to the man who is trying to help you save your life? I'm helping you move one step closer to the vengeance you've dreamed of the last five years. You should be nicer to me," he told her, pulling the sheet down to expose her breasts.

"Can I have my clothes? Do you really think it's necessary to keep taking them from me at night?" she queried, looking away from him as he ogled her shamelessly.

"Yes, I do," he answered, foregoing touching her. He stood up from the bed to retrieve her clothes. "We need to get down to business right now anyway."

...

Masako wanted to kill Mello. She had been worked over so hard in their fighting session her whole body was sore. It was not difficult to discern he had been purposely cruel to her after her phone call with Near. However, this did not prevent her from feeling gratitude toward him for allowing her to talk to Near. Rolling over in the bed, she groaned. The hot shower had not done much to relax her muscles or soothe her bruises.

Masako heard what sounded like an explosion and sat up in the bed. She opened the door and peeked into the hall seeing no one. There was not even one of the watch dogs he always had posted at her room. Creeping out of the room, she heard the yelling voices of men then gunshots. Just as she was about to advance toward the staircase, Mello came careening around the corner and grabbed her. Without a word, he pulled her along with him to the room at the end of the hall that held all of the screens for the cameras monitoring the warehouse. Her eyes studied the small metal box he held in his other hand.

"What is that?" she asked although she already knew. It was a detonation switch to a bomb. She was surprised by the tender, sorrowful kiss he gave her.

"You're not dying today, my love. I've enjoyed our time together," he told her, ignoring the confusion on her face.

Masako felt sick. She looked at the displays to see what was going on. Most showed nothing but a snowy screen because the camera had been disabled and most likely destroyed. Her eyes widened and she gasped when she saw men running up the stairs in riot gear with machine guns in their hands. What is going on? Who are they? She jumped and shrieked when the door behind them was violently kicked in. She cried out again when he held her against his body and whirled around to face the intruders. Mello raised the detonation switch to eye level in front of her so they could see it.

The men stopped, holding their weapons aimed at Mello and her. There were five of them, but they were wearing dark shielded helmets so she still had no idea who they were. She hoped they did not shoot her mistakenly believing that she was his partner – in crime or otherwise.

Masako closed her eyes, struggling for air as he held her so tightly she could barely breathe. She heard a man groan to their right. Her eyes opened to see one of Mello's goons writhing on the floor trying to reach the automatic weapon just out of his reach. The bomb that went off earlier had stunned him. Her attention shifted back to the man standing in front of them when he took off his helmet. She bit her lip to keep from screaming his name when she saw Light's father was the man beneath all that gear. So the whole Japanese Task Force had come with Light. She was actually glad to see them. Her stomach tightened anxiously with the thought of seeing Light again. If they recognized her, would they take her to him?

Mr. Yagami pulled out a notebook and a pen. He fixed his eyes on them as if he were deciphering something written above their heads. He gaped momentarily at her then shifted his gaze to Mello.

"Mihael Keehl," he spoke slowly, spelling the name afterward.

What is happening? How did he know Mello's real name?

"Mello, what – "

"Shut up," he hissed at her, holding out the detonation switch with his thumb on the button. He addressed the officers in front of him next. "I've already blown up the entrances so there's no escape. Put that notebook down and slide it over to me or I'll blow us all up right now."

The man on the floor raised the gun to shoot, aiming at Mr. Yagami.

"Look out!" Masako screamed but it was too late.

The gun went off and things went haywire. Yagami went down to his knees with his back to the gunman when the bullets began pelting his body. Masako was pulled against Mello's slight but strong body for another kiss: this one was much more gentle conveying emotions that she was not expecting. The other officers shot at the gunman on the floor. The sound of the gun beat into her cranium as a hundred thoughts bombarded her brain at once.

"Good-bye, my love. Forgive me," he whispered, looking into her eyes briefly before shoving her forward forcefully.

Masako stumbled to fall into the arms of the officer bending down to check Mr. Yagami. Her forehead smacked into the hard bullet proof vest that covered his chest sending a jolt of pain through her head. Her body was pulled into his and he turned his back to Mello. She covered her head as he curled his body around hers to protect her.

After a quick burst of yelling and scuffling feet, their world exploded – literally.

* * *

Was she dead? Everything was white and bright. There was a hazy edge around her vision, softening and blurring lines as if she was looking through a filmy curtain. No. Masako was not dead. She hurt too damn badly.

"Oh, my god," she moaned, trying to raise her head.

"You called?" Light's voice assaulted her ears.

"Oh, I'm in hell," she muttered, closing her eyes.

"I can't believe it is really you after all of this time. I see that you could not stay away from me forever. I really like your new hairstyle," he muttered scornfully.

"You're such a bastard, Light. How can you live with yourself? You sacrificed your own father to get your way," she mumbled, opening her eyes when she felt the bed move. She glared at the man sitting beside her. Her thoughts turned to Mello, wondering if he was dead.

"You should thank Matsuda. He's the one who protected you," he said, touching her cheek. "You got out pretty much unscathed with only a few cuts and bruises."

"Don't touch me," she snapped, slapping his hand away. She could not help but smile when she thought of Touta Matsuda. He had always been her favorite because he was so goofy and sometimes funny in his fearfulness. Somehow he always ended up being the unlikely hero.

"I've missed you," Light said, leaning forward to kiss her.

"Wish I could return the sentiment but well…" Masako allowed her words to trail off. She braced herself for the soft, almost loving kiss. The touch of his lips made her feel nauseated.

"Sachi – " He began to be abruptly cut off.

"Don't call me that!" she hissed caustically. "I'm not that person anymore."

"I can tell," he mumbled, getting up from the bed.

"Mr. Yagami, you should leave now. Ms. Lawliet needs her rest," the nurse told him as she walked into the room to check Masako's vitals.

It was difficult not to giggle at the expression of shock on his handsome face. He even found it gape worthy, standing there with a slack jawed, wide-eyed stare. She was not sure which shocked him more: her name or the nurse speaking to him so rudely.

"Get out, Mr. Yagami," the nurse said forcefully.

Light gave the nurse a scathing glower before vacating the room. Masako looked into a familiar pair of amber eyes behind the thick lenses of the black framed glasses. Halle Lidner was wearing a wig of long brown hair under her nurse's hat.

"Come on. Let's get out of here. I'm taking you to, Near," the woman informed her.

After helping Masako out of the bed, she went to the door to check the hall for Light. Once she was sure he was gone, she grabbed the other woman's arm to lead her from the room. They were almost to elevators when a sharp 'hey' was directed at them.

"Where are you taking her?" Light demanded, walking up to them.

"I'm taking her to have some tests ran. She will be back soon," the woman lied.

"You said she needed rest. Why isn't she in a wheelchair?" he questioned with suspicion evident in his voice.

Masako heard the click of a gun being cocked before she felt it being pressed between her and Halle when the woman pointed it at Light.

"Back off Yagami or I'll shoot you right here. She is my priority and I've been given orders to get her out at any cost even if means making a bloody mess. Do you really think it will be difficult for me to shoot you?" she asked in a calm but clearly threatening voice.

Light blinked and sneered. "Misa," he called calmly.

The still bouncy and irritating blond appeared from behind him. She was holding a Death Note in her hand with a pen poised and ready to write.

"Take care of this problem," he ordered her with a smirk on his face.

"Oh, yes, Light!" she exclaimed happily, her eyes fixed on Halle. She wrote in the notebook. "I will do anything for you. I love you!"

God! The woman was still stupid and clueless after all these years. How could she not have grown a brain by now? Light had to have shown his true sinister and cruel nature to her by now. Why did she put up with it? Apparently he treated her like his well-trained dog: a murderous attack dog with a killer notebook.

Masako cried out when Halle jerked forward, dropping the gun. She bent to pick it up but Light grabbed her wrist and took it from her grasp. When Halle slumped against her, her arms went around the woman to slowly lower her body to the floor as she died from a heart attack.

"Please, kill him," the dying woman whispered, leaning her head on Masako's shoulder who held her while she took her final breath.

"Let her go. Come with me," Light commanded her, holding his hand for her to take it.

Masako carefully laid the woman on the floor. This brought back the memory of L. She had held him in her arms when he died too. How many more times would she have to do this? Ignoring Light's hand, she stood up while holding back the stinging, bitter tears that wanted to fall. She pressed her lips together to keep from reacting to the discomfort of his strong fingers squeezing her upper arm as he pushed the muzzle of the gun between her ribs. Her steps were sluggish so he prodded her to move by poking her with the gun.

"That's not necessary, Light, put it away. I won't run from you. Besides, you have Misa behind you with the notebook. She could always write down my name," she reminded him.

"You're right," he responded, dumping the gun in the trash can they passed. "But I don't want to kill you. We have so much to talk about."

...

Masako found herself alone in a hotel room with Light. He ordered Misa back to the room he shared with her as if she were a servant who was suddenly in the way. If the blonde had a bit of sense in her head, she would protest and do so loudly when her adored boyfriend commanded her to go away so he could be alone with another woman.

"What is your name now?" he asked her, sitting down beside her on the couch.

"Masako Lawliet," she answered, rising to her feet to walk to the window. She opened the curtain to look out on the brightly lit city twinkling in the night.

Her eyes stared at his reflection in the window when he walked toward her. If he was not a ruthless murderer and heinous human being in general, she would think he was even more handsome than he had been five years ago. Her body stiffened when he stood behind her with his body pressed to the full length of hers.

"Time has been kind to you in many ways. I'm sorry he had to die," he murmured in her ear, his fingers sliding down her neck.

"No you're not. You wanted him dead from the beginning because he always suspected you of being Kira. You made him doubt himself just once. He let his guard down and you killed him," she returned in an emotionless voice.

"I always wanted you. You would have been a much better match for me than Misa," he said, pulling her hair out of the way to kiss her neck.

"Stop it," she hissed, shrugging her shoulder to push him away. His malice and selfishness knew no bounds.

Masako shivered, gritting her teeth as he slid his hands around her body to press them flat against her belly. A sick, dizzy feeling enveloped her as he pushed the proof of his desire into her back. There was an intensity to the self-centered need in him that even Mello had not possessed. She held her breath when he kissed her cheek, hoping he did not try for more.

"Good night, my beautiful flower. Get some rest. You're going to need it," he stated in a threatening way.

Masako listened for the satisfying sound of the door to her room closing, signalling his departure. She sank to the floor allowing the long held tears to flow.

"Oh, Near," she sobbed. "I just want to be with you again."

* * *

Countdown to Light's demise begins: 3…


	17. Chapter 16

Countdown continues: 2…

Masako paced the room. The waiting. She hated all of the damn waiting. Picking up the phone, she tried it again in hopes that it had suddenly begun working. No such luck. She went to the door, opening it to see Matsuda standing there. How convenient that he was the one sent to guard her.

"Would you like to come in for a minute? I wanted to talk to you anyway," she said, giving him a smile that he easily returned.

"I really shouldn't but …" He gladly walked in, closing and locking the door behind him. "So you won't try to leave," he explained with a blush.

"Touta, I've missed you," she proclaimed, hugging him when he stood in front of her.

"I never thought I'd see you again," he returned, hugging her back despite feeling quite self-conscious.

"Thank you for protecting me," she told him, letting him go. Ignoring his obvious discomfort, she took his hand and led him to the couch.

"I couldn't live with myself if I had let you die," he rejoined, clearing his throat and shifting anxiously when she sat right next to him. "I always liked you. You were so kind and sweet. Especially to L."

"Will you protect me again?" she asked, meeting his gaze that held obvious confusion. "Get me out of here, Touta. You know as well as I do that Light can want nothing good for me. Can I trust you with a secret?"

She smiled when he nodded like an excited child, his big brown eyes locked on her face. Taking his chin in her hand to turn his head, she whispered in his ear, "I had L's baby. I have a son. I need to get back to him."

Matsuda rotated his head back to her, his eyes even larger now as he gawked at her.

"Will you help me?" she implored him, begging him with her soft brown eyes.

"I…uh…I-I don't know," he spluttered indecisively.

"Don't tell him about my child. I'll never forgive you if Light kills him," she said, rising from the couch.

"But Light would never – " The words died on his tongue when she turned her fierce, angry eyes on him.

"Touta, please don't be that stupid. Can't you see what, no, _who_ he is since you work so closely with him?" she inquired with a sharp edge of bitterness to her voice.

When the man only stared at her in dumbfounded shock, she went on to make her case by listing the reasons as to why Light _is_ Kira. He seemed to grow more upset and downright distraught as she talked. He did not want to believe her. She was hoping she had not misplaced her trust. She had faith that Aizawa and Ide had already begun to suspect him. Mogi she was never sure about because he was always so quiet and kept to himself. Touta, in all of his endearing naiveté, would be the hold out and the most difficult to convince of Kira's true identity.

"Give me your phone," she requested, holding out her hand.

"No. I – I can't," he stammered nervously.

"Touta, please if you have ever cared anything about me, let me have the phone. I trusted you with my greatest secret. Please," she pled with him.

The inner conflict showed on his face, and it was a terrible struggle. After several minutes and a few meaningful gazes from Masako, he reached into his pocket to retrieve the phone. He blushed hotly when she kissed his cheek then rapidly dialed a number.

"Near!" she exclaimed into the phone when he answered.

"Where are you?" he asked hurriedly, the apprehension evident in his voice.

"Light has me. He kidnapped me from the hospital after ordering Misa to kill Halle. Misa is the one writing all the names down in the Death Note," she informed him swiftly, ignoring Matsuda's pale shocked face.

"Get out of there. I want you away from him. Forget this whole revenge thing," he told her, taking a deep breath before continuing. "The United States President has acquiesced to Kira. He has endorsed him and given him free rein to do as he pleases. He disbanded the SPK as well. Please get out of there. I can't live without you."

Masako felt so sick and weak. She grabbed her belly before falling to her knees. She could not believe her ears. The blatant fear and anxiety in Near's voice tore at her because he _never_ got upset or emotional. He was always calm, always logical, but not at this moment. His voice sounded like he was restraining panic as he begged her to leave. She could not live without him either. Standing to her feet, she picked up the heavy crystal sculpture from the table behind the couch. While holding the phone to her ear with her shoulder, she approached the man above suspicion staring at her with uncertainty. She methodically judged the weight of the object in her hand to determine how hard she would have to strike him to render him unconscious without killing him.

"Matsuda, I'm sorry. Please forgive me. In the end this will save you from being killed by Light. Tell him I knocked you out and stole your phone," she instructed him, raising the weighty piece of art. "I'm sorry."

"Wait! What are you –"

Before he could finish the question, she brought the dense object down on his temple careful to strike the pressure point only to knock him unconscious but not to do any damage. He would have a hell of a headache but no blunt force trauma. He would be safe from the vindictive Light who would surely seek retribution for her escape.

"What happened?" Near questioned her with a tight, strained voice.

"Near, I'm coming," Masako said, stepping over the unconscious Matsuda.

There was no time to feel guilty over hitting the man lying on the floor in a heap. She looked down the hall, hearing the elevator dinging as it reached the floor and a room door opening for someone to exit. Both of those held a high chance of being Light, and he would immediately be coming her way. She saw the sign for the stairwell at the end of the hall.

"What are you doing?" he asked, hearing her panting into the phone.

"I'm running. I'm taking the stairs. When I get outside I'll find some landmarks to tell you where I am." She hurried down the stairs, hoping Light had not yet discovered that she was missing. She knew he would have surveillance cameras so she could only pray that her timing was good, and he was away from the computer. Running outside into the freezing air, her breath puffed out in front of her. All she was wearing was a thin silk shirt and a short skirt, no shoes or jacket.

"Where are you?" Near almost yelled into the phone.

Masako gave him the name of the street and the direction she was walking. She also added the name of a few of the shops she was walking past.

"Sa – Masako!" she heard Light's voice yell behind her.

Time to run.

"Damn! He's coming. Hurry!" she shouted into the phone, running down the street.

"Rester, he's behind her. How far away are we?" he asked the man driving the car.

"Ten blocks. Shit!" Anthony exclaimed, slamming on the brakes when a large truck blocked the road in front of them. He pulled out his gun, getting out of the car. "Tell her I'm coming to her!"

"I heard, Near," she told him before he relayed the message. "Which way is he going so I can run to him?"

Near told her and she turned the next corner. Her feet felt as if the skin was being scraped off by the concrete sidewalk. Her lungs were burning for lack of air and her muscles were sore and beginning to cramp. It was difficult dodging the crowd of people streaming around her on both sides. How can all of these people see a person in obvious distress and not bother to help at all? Ignoring the pain in her body, she continued to flee while asking for directions through the phone. The next corner she turned, she saw the big blond man standing at the end of the block. She had never been so happy to see him.

"Anthony!" she screamed, running toward him. She smiled when he saw her and made his way to her. Flinging herself into his wide chest, she buried her face against his light blue shirt.

"There he is," he growled, raising his arm to aim the gun he held.

"NO!" she screamed, pushing his hand skyward before he pulled the trigger.

"What the hell did you do that for?" he demanded angrily.

"There's too many people here. You can't risk shooting an innocent person," she panted, leaning against him.

"I'm an excellent shot," he told her, holding her against him with one arm as he took aim again at Light.

"But you're not a murderer. Get me out of here," she implored him, holding on to his shirt.

"Dammit!" he snarled, not taking the shot. Twice he had a bead on Light Yagami and could have blown his head off. Instead, he holstered his gun and picked up the almost unconscious woman to get her to safety and her beloved Near. Opening the car door to the backseat, he shoved her in beside the young man. He got into the driver's seat as quickly as possible to get them all out of there.

"I'm fine," Masako assured Near before he even asked. She looked into his dark gray eyes as he touched her face and looked her over for any evident injuries besides the bruises and scrapes from the explosion.

"You are the only person who has ever made me feel fear. I don't like it," he told her in his tranquil, toneless voice.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, kissing his forehead.

"Let it go. Let's go home," he said, kissing her briefly on the lips.

"We won't be safe as long as he is alive. Did Mello come to see you?" she inquired, seeing the bewilderment flood his eyes.

"Yes, but –"

Relief flooded her upon learning that he was alive. Masako had been so sure he had been killed in that explosion at the warehouse. He will be able to keep his promise to her after all. "He and I were able to come to an agreement. He's actually helping me. I'm supposed to meet him in a few days."

"But, how could you – " Near stopped speaking after looking into her eyes. He felt anger and jealousy rise within him. She was making him feel all sorts of uncomfortable emotions. "What did you promise him or already given him in return for his cooperation?"

Masako had accomplished something he never could which was obtaining the assistance of the obstinate Mello who held a deep seated hatred for him. How had she done it? He was uneasily awaiting the answer while irritation and envy seethed within him. She belonged to _him_ and no one else. The thought of another man touching her was unbearable especially if that man was Mello.

"Near, I did not do _that_," she assured him, pressing her lips to his. She liked kissing him. Maybe too much. Her eyes lingered on his full pink bottom lip and roved over his childlike face. He barely looked older than the first time she met him, but he was in fact a legal adult and considered a grown man.

"Masako, I –" Near started but was cut off as the car slid around a corner.

"Where are we going?" Rester inquired, keeping his eyes straight ahead on the road.

"The airport," he replied with a tone that did not allow for argument. "We're returning to England."

~\..'../~

* * *

"Mama? Mama!" the L in miniature yelled as he ran to his mother.

Masako knelt down to open her arms for her son who had celebrated his fifth birthday during her absence. She held him with tears running down her face. That would be the first and the last birthday of his that she would ever miss.

"Oh, Mama! I missed you so much," he cried in his little boy voice. He was still young enough there was no shame in plastering kisses all over his mother's face.

"Oh, baby! I love you! I missed you too. I'm so sorry," she apologized, kissing his little cheeks over and over.

"Here, Hideki," Near said, stepping up to hand the child a present.

"Near! Near!" the child yelled, unwinding from his mother to go to Near. Bypassing the present, he wrapped his little arms around the neck of the man he called brother.

Masako wiped away her tears for them to be replaced by twice as many as they flowed faster down her cheeks. She watched silently while the two hugged each other tightly.

"Here. Your mom and I bought this for you." Once again he brought the child's attention to the present.

Hideki sat down on the floor, viciously tearing off the wrapping paper. He opened the big box to find action figures, decks of cards, dice, and other various toys. There was a smaller box at the bottom. Forgetting about the toys temporarily, curiosity drove him to open the box. A silver X in old English script hung from a delicate silver chain.

"X? But my name begins with H," Hideki protested staring at the fancy letter.

"It's not for who you are now but who you will be someday," Near explained though the child still did not understand.

Masako bent down to place the necklace around the child's neck. She kissed him on the forehead and stroked his wild fly away hair with a smile on her face.

"How about some cake?" Roger suggested. "Hideki helped me make it especially for you two when we knew you were coming. He's a lucky boy. He gets to celebrate his birthday twice."

Mello watched from the sidewalk with the hood of the parka pulled low over his scarred face. He was basically hiding in the jacket but if they had just looked his way they would not have missed him in the black jacket standing against the mostly white landscape of freshly fallen snow. However, he did not want to interrupt the heartwarming family reunion he had just witnessed. There was no hurry. He would be back later.

...

Masako tossed and turned in her bed, unable to sleep. She listened to the sound of her son breathing next to her. Getting up slowly to avoid making a sound, she painstakingly eased from the bed so she would not wake him. Looking down at him, her heart physically ached for the man who owned it despite no longer being with her. Oh, god he looked like his father. She bent down to kiss him tenderly on the cheek. A smile curled her lips when he wriggled a bit and sighed loudly.

"I love you, Mama," he mumbled in his sleep.

"I love you too, baby," she whispered back.

She did not bother to grab a robe before she left the room. She was wearing a pair of Near's pajamas that were too big on him but to her humiliation she filled them out nicely with her extra inches of height and full curves. Putting on the old fashioned whistling tea kettle, she dug for her favorite tea that she always hid in the back of the pantry. Her body was encased between the shelves up to her waist when she heard the soft scraping of footsteps behind her. Judging by the slight shuffling sound and the almost complete silence, she guessed it to be Near.

"What are you doing?" he whispered touching her behind. He smirked with satisfaction when she jumped and hit her head on the shelf above her.

"Ow! Near," she whined, extracting herself from the shelves and rubbing her sore head. She was more aggravated with herself than him because she had known he was there but it still frightened her.

"Want me to kiss it and make if feel better?" he inquired unable to wipe the smirk off his face.

"I'll tell you what you can kiss…" She hooked her thumb in the top of the pajama pants acting as if she were going to pull it down to reveal her derrière.

"Be careful," he warned, moving closer to her. "I just might do it."

"Hmph," Masako snorted. Her eyes met his when he trapped her between the shelves and his body with his hands gripping the shelf behind her.

"You don't think I will?" he challenged.

"No," she retorted, sliding her arms around his neck.

Near pushed himself up the few inches it took to reach her lips surprising her. He pressed her into the shelf while he kissed her like he had only dreamed about for a long time.

Masako's fingers buried themselves in his silky white hair, twisting a lock of it like he always does when he is thinking. She was thinking a lot of things but one of them was _not_ that she needed to stop kissing him. The tea kettle started whistling alerting her that the water was hot and ready for her tea. Her eyes met Near's when he broke the kiss to stare at her.

"Um, I need to go get that. I don't want to wake everyone in the house up," she murmured, sliding past him when he dropped his arms. "Would you like some tea?"

Near followed her out of the large pantry standing behind her while she made her tea. He slid his arms around her waist, propping his chin on her shoulder.

"I only want you," he whispered, hearing her take a deep, shaky breath. 'Here it comes. Just like always,' he thought to himself waiting for the usual _you're just a child_ remark.

Masako thought a moment before saying anything. Whether she was willing to admit it or not, he was no longer a child. She had missed celebrating his birthday as well because they had been so deep into the Kira case. Sooner or later she would have to start regarding him as an adult and what then? How would she treat him? What would she feel? Turning to look at him, she searched his eyes for her answer. The deep gray eyes with half dilated pupils held hers and communicated so much.

"Near, you and I need to talk," she said, dropping the strawberry tea bag into the water.

"We are talking," he retorted in his snide manner. He had an undercover way of being a smart ass that was easy to overlook.

"About what to do with each other," she pressed the issue, sipping her tea while staring into the cup.

"I know what I'd like to do with you," said with thinly veiled snarkiness.

"You can take me to your bed after I finish my tea," she rejoined swiftly without looking at him.

"Wh-what?" he stammered, tripping mentally.

Masako smiled with satisfaction. Gotcha! She slowly raised her eyes to his while he stared at her in mute disbelief. "You heard me. You want a special present for your nineteenth birthday right?"


	18. Chapter 17

Final part of the countdown: 1

Masako awoke at dawn looking down at the man sleeping in her arms. She kissed him on the forehead, stroking his messy white hair gently. Gradually disentangling herself from him, she slid out of the bed carefully as not to wake him. They were both still fully dressed. Nothing had occurred between them except for words and a few kisses. They had taken on the serious discussion of redefining their relationship. Deciding it was too late to come to a conclusion on such a crucial matter with no sleep, they had fallen asleep in each other's arms in agreement that it should be deliberated another day.

Once she was back in her room, she dressed in jeans and a sweater. She kissed Hideki on the cheek then grabbed her heavy coat. A walk in the still quietness of dawn and the crisp cold air would help her clear her head. A lone figure in black at the gate caught her eye as soon as she walked out of the door. It was odd that the figure did not move as she approached. Was it a person? A white puff of smoke from the air they exhaled confirmed that the life form was indeed human.

"Can I help you?" she queried with a smile on her face.

She gasped when the person pushed back the hood. Golden blond hair was exposed and sharp blue eyes met hers. Hurrying to open the gate, she ran out to him so she could throw her arms around him.

"I'm so glad you're alive," she murmured, leaning back to look at his face. Her fingers trembled as they reached up to touch the dark, disfiguring scar that covered almost the whole left side of his face. She gingerly touched the brownish purple skin that looked like scorched, crumpled paper. It felt dry and rough under her fingertips; that was no ordinary burn scar.

"Oh, Mello," she gasped, pressing her lips to his mutilated cheek.

"Don't," he spoke in a low gentle voice, pushing her away slightly. "You don't have to do that. I know I disgust you more than ever now."

"Come inside," she insisted after feeling the frigid temperature of his skin beneath her lips. He must have been out here for hours, and she would not take no for an answer.

They were sitting in the warm kitchen drinking coffee and talking when Near walked in.

"I was wondering where you went when I woke up alone," Near said, kissing her briefly on the lips.

Masako hid behind her coffee mug to avoid the gaping stare of Mello. There seemed to a lot of people wearing that expression here lately and she was always the cause of it.

"Well, isn't that something," the stunned blonde managed to mutter before going back to his coffee.

She did not bother to tell him it was not the something he was thinking. He was well within his rights to think what he pleased. If it had been that something he was thinking, she and Near were well within their rights to do that as well.

"Did you still want to go through with our plan?" she asked Mello, bumping his foot with hers to bring his full attention to her.

"What plan?" Near asked, sitting down with them. He pulled his foot onto the chair to bring his knee under his chin.

"You didn't tell him?" Mello questioned her.

"Not yet. I wanted you to be here so we could explain it together. I had faith in you that you would keep your promise," she said, meeting his stare of astonishment. "Is it that shocking?"

"No. It means a lot that you believed in me," he told her, returning the smile since the shock wore off.

"What plan?" Near repeated, clutching her hand to get her attention. He did not care much for the unspoken communication between the two of them. His mind still wandered to places it should not when he thought about Mello holding her in captivity for almost a month.

"Tomorrow we will begin. It will start with the Death Note I brought here," she stated matter of factly. "Here is what we will do…"

~\..'../~

* * *

Masako chewed on her lip nervously while she waited for Light to answer the phone. After an almost sensual hello, she winced. Hearing his voice had that effect on her. She also wanted to vomit but that would have to wait.

"Light," she said, giving him time to recognize her voice. She shuffled around restlessly during the extensive pause.

"Where are you?" he demanded in a low, ominous voice.

"I'm yours. Come get me," she murmured seductively.

"Where?" There was a distinctive tone of curiosity and excitement in his voice.

"In three days, come to the Royal Winchester Hotel. I will be waiting for you in room 404. Be there at nine PM," she told him, enduring another lengthy silence.

"What do you mean that you will be mine?" Suspicion tainted his otherwise smooth voice.

Masako gulped so she could get out the next words. "I mean just that. I'm yours. I won't run from you any longer because I know how much you want me. You can do anything to me."

"Anything?" he repeated to verify she meant it.

"Anything."

"I'll be there."

~\..'../~

* * *

Masako paced the room like a caged animal waiting for the hunter to come retrieve her. She checked her appearance again in the mirror. Her dress was a plain, dark red wrap around dress. What was underneath would be what piqued his interest and held his attention. Her fingers poked at stray curls, attempting to push them back into the loose bun with the others. They refused to cooperate and dropped back down to softly frame her face. A knock sounded on the door and she nearly jumped out of her skin. Glancing at her watch, she saw it was nine right on the dot. No surprise there – the epic tight ass was punctual as ever. She purposely waited for the second, more insistent knock before going to open the door.

"Light," she gasped, genuinely breathless from his appearance. He was wearing a dark brown suit with a peach colored shirt underneath and silk tie the same color as his shirt. His lustrous golden brown hair was haloed from the soft amber glow of the lights in the hallway. Pressing her hand to her fluttering belly, she willed herself not the throw up because of the golden god at her door who was the devil in disguise.

"You're beautiful," he complimented, handing her a bouquet of red roses the same color as her dress.

"I was just thinking the same thing about you," she rejoined, moving back so he could walk in. "Have you been doing well?"

"No," he answered curtly, laying the roses on the dresser.

"Why is that?" she inquired helping him slide his immaculately pressed jacket down his arms. She carelessly flung it over the chair in the corner to watch him cringe. A wicked smile tilted her lips when he walked away from her to the chair to straighten out the jacket.

"Misa committed suicide the night you called me. I think she might have overheard our phone call," he explained casually. He might as well be discussing the weather for all the emotion he showed for the death of his longtime girlfriend.

"Aren't you just the slightest bit upset?" This did not surprise her any more than the news of Misa's suicide. She had planned for both.

"I was. But I got over it," he rejoined callously.

Bastard straight from the pits of hell! He would be going home soon.

Masako gasped when she felt his hands on her shoulders. She closed her eyes and bit her lower lip when he massaged them with his big strong hands. It felt good. She did not want him to do things to her that felt good.

"You're so tense. Are you afraid of me?" He dug his fingers into the tight muscles to loosen them up.

"A little. I haven't been with a man since L," she told him truthfully.

"Oh, that's a shame. A lovely woman such as yourself who has so much to offer," he said, turning her to face him. "Why are you offering it to me now?"

"You said you would take care of me. I've never been able to find anyone else who could. I regretted running away from you. Then I was afraid that even if I came back to you that you would not accept me so I just stayed away." She lied just like she had been trained, making it sincere enough that he gave the impression he believed her.

"I could kill you. I still have a Death Note in my possession. Although I think I would enjoy it more to kill you with my bare hands," he threatened her, wrapping his long fingers around her throat.

Light was bluffing. He had no clue where the Death Note was because Misa had buried it unbeknownst to him before committing suicide. Everything was going according to plan.

Masako placed her palms flat against his chest feeling the impressive muscles rippling under her touch. Although she would not say so out loud, he had become quite a man. What a sad waste of something so gorgeous. She smiled at him, loosening his tie a bit. "You won't kill me that way. You would make a mess and get your clothes dirty. Besides, you've waited too long for this to kill me already."

Light stared down at her with eyes that glowed as if embers had been placed behind them. A lopsided smirk of victory tilted his lips as his fingers moved down her neck and over her shoulders. His eyes looked into hers as his hands glided over the tops of her breasts peeking out of her low cut dress then moved down her body.

Masako could feel her body trembling under his touch and wanted to run. She wanted to close her eyes to break contact with his but forced herself to hold the ardent gaze. Her heart skipped a few beats when she felt him pull the bow that was responsible for holding her dress together. She was surprised his eyes never wavered from hers as the soft fabric slid back exposing her body to him.

"Oh, my god," he breathed, looking at the skimpy pieces of lace that were supposed to be a bra and panty set.

"Aren't you talking to yourself?" she commented smartly. "You should say, oh, my goddess."

She studied him in silence as he dropped to his knees in front of her. Power surged within her making her feel hot and slightly dizzy. The god was on his knees worshipping her. Goose bumps covered her body as he pulled the dress down her arms to remove it. She gasped when he pressed his lips to her belly beneath her navel. Her fingers twined themselves into his perfect hair as he kissed her body again but lower. On the third kiss, just above the lace of the panties that barely covered her crotch, she grabbed a fistful of his hair and pulled to make him stop.

"Not so fast," she scolded him, urging him to stand up by pulling his hair in an upward direction. "I need to undress you."

This would be so much easier if he was as ugly on the outside as he was on the inside. Masako's shaking fingers loosened and unknotted his tie, pulling it from his shirt. She took her time unbuttoning his shirt. It was impossible to not have a reaction when she pushed open his shirt to reveal his tanned and toned chest. Her hands slid his shirt over his wide shoulders and down his muscular arms. Why couldn't he look like the monster he is? Her eyes glimpsed her watch as she trailed her fingers down his chest. 9:16. Forty-four minutes until show time. That is a long time to distract him.

"Would you like a drink? I have some wine. Let me –" She attempted to move toward it, but he held her firmly, pulling her against him. The skin to skin contact was so enticing and made her feel weak with arousal. Damn her body! That was not supposed to be happening.

"No. I just want you," he murmured, sliding his arms around her.

Masako closed her eyes when he lowered his lips to hers. The kiss was gentle and easy at first but rapidly transformed into something forceful and provocative. She moaned when he held her by the hips, pushing against her so she could feel how much he wanted her. Her body responded with a rush of moisture from sexual stimulation that she found highly upsetting. With someone else this would have been a welcome reaction but not him. She ripped her lips from his, pushing him back from her.

"You may not need a drink, but I do," she muttered, grabbing the wine bottle. She twisted off the cap, thankful that even premium winemaker's were foregoing the corks in favor of convenience. Not bothering with a glass she took several large gulps before offering it to him.

"I find your lack of refinement sexy. I always have," he commented, his eyes glittering in a sinister way. He took a few dainty sips from the bottle.

Masako somehow resisted the overpowering desire to laugh at the persistently prissy man. She took the bottle back, turning away from him. This was the wrong thing to do considering she was wearing a thong and he had not seen her back side yet.

"Oh, my goddess!" he exclaimed, placing his hands on her bared butt cheeks. He remembered her admonition from earlier. Slamming her against the dresser, he trapped her body firmly between his and the heavy piece of furniture.

"Light, stop!" she yelled, pushing back against him which she found out quickly was a mistake. A sharp shriek tore from her throat when he held her waist and rubbed his rigid member against her behind.

"I need you," he murmured, unhooking her bra since it was conveniently in front him.

Masako squealed when it dropped to the floor. She made a bizarre squeaking noise when he covered her breasts with his hands, caressing and squeezing them.

"You make some of the cutest noises," he chuckled, kissing her cheek.

She turned despite her breasts being bared now so she could push him back to the bed. She permitted him to kiss her while she held her hand up over his shoulder to see her watch. 9:32. Pushing him down on the bed, she fell on top of him. Before she could roll away from him, his arms moved around her to embrace her tightly. Her body ceased struggling when he emitted an odd choking sound that was almost a sob.

"Light?" Was he crying? She pushed up on his chest, looking down at him. Brushing back his long brown bangs, she could see his brown eyes brimming with tears as he looked at her. Fear crept in like a crafty intruder and took hold of her. Why was he acting this way?

"I never meant to hurt them. Sayu, my father, Misa…not even L. Unfortunately, sacrifices had to be made. They had to die for the sake of creating a perfect world," he said, his voice no longer soft or sad. There was a brittle, sharp edge that cut across her nerves and amplified the terror growing within her. "My perfect world. What are you going to be Masako? A sacrifice? Or a saint?"

"I have something to take the pain away, Light. I can help you," she told him, kissing his lips briefly.

Rolling off of him toward the night table, she opened the drawer and reached in. She pulled out something wrapped in a pristine white handkerchief. Opening the bundle carefully, she revealed the gun inside. She made sure to keep the handkerchief between her fingers and the gun as she held it.

"Here," she stated serenely, laying the gun on his bare belly. She smiled when he flinched and hissed from the touch of the cold metal. "You'll need this."

Light picked up the gun, staring at it in confusion. He aimed the gun at her when she stood up from the bed. His eyes and the gun followed her as she calmly walked around the room gathering her clothes to redress. "Aren't you afraid I'm going to kill you?"

"No," she answered curtly, sliding her dress on. "You're going to kill yourself."

"What?" he snorted disdainfully, standing up.

Masako went to her purse, pulling out an envelope that she laid on the table beside the bed.

"This note is your confession to being Kira. In your obsession to be a god, you caused the deaths of many innocent people including several people you loved. It also lists hundreds of the people you killed. I know it's not all of them but it's enough to make it irrefutable. You came to this hotel room to kill yourself because you could no longer take the guilt," she explained to him in an eerily tranquil voice. She had gone to her not so happy place where emotions were detached and stone cold killers can be made. Thanks to him she had learned how to do that.

"There's no way – " His body moved as if compelled by a higher force. He brought the muzzle of the gun to his temple. "No. NO! This can't be happening!"

"Your time of death will be ten PM on the minute. I know how much you appreciate punctuality. It is now 9:47. Good-bye, Light," she told him with a startling finality.

"No! You can't do this to me! I'm a god you hear me! I will destroy you!" he shouted, pressing the muzzle into his skin. A single tear rolled down his cheek.

"Yes, you are a god Light. You gave birth to a goddess when you killed L but you did not know it yet. You considered yourself the god of justice therefore I am the goddess of vengeance. It is my duty to avenge those who died from your misguided brand of justice. 9:53, Light. How does it feel?" Masako inquired in that sinister calm voice, callous to the tears streaming down his cheeks. "How does it feel knowing that you are about to die and you're powerless to stop it? What is it like to have no control?"

"You can't do this to me," he growled through clenched teeth, sweat running down his face to mix with the tears. Some of the sweat combined with the blood trickling from the wound he had caused from pressing the gun into his skin so forcefully. The red line crept down his face, his neck, and over his chest marring his absolute beauty.

"I am a saint and you are the sacrifice. Go to hell, Light, where you belong," she snarled with a sneer on her face.

"Masako!" Mello yelled at her coming into the room. "You need to leave. It's 9:57. You shouldn't be here for this!"

"I want to stay. I want to see him die," she stated tonelessly, staring at Light who was sweating and bleeding more profusely.

9:58

"Get out!" Mello insisted, grabbing her hand and trying to pull her. She refused to move and she was frightening him with her morbid insistence on watching the horrific event.

"Good-bye," Light told her, his finger squeezing the trigger.

"NO!" Mello yelled, covering her eyes with his hand and pulling her out of the room with an arm around her waist.

10:00 PM. A sound like a firecracker going off split the air just as Mello hauled her from the room.

"It's over," she declared weakly, leaning against him.

They were both panting from the horror of the situation and the slight struggle that she had given him.

"Let's go home," he suggested. "Near's waiting for you. He will be worried."

~\..'../~

* * *

Three days ago…

_After hanging up from her call with Light, Masako retrieved the Death Note she had stolen when she ran from him. She went to Roger's office where Near and Mello waited for her. Kissing Near gently on the lips, she offered him a smile to comfort him and assure him that she knew what she was doing. She handed Mello the Death Note. _

_Mello had volunteered to write the names of Misa Amane and Light Yagami into the notebook for her. He had already used a Death Note once when he had received it for the trade of Sayu Yagami. _

_The following is the instructions she gave him to write for Misa:  
Misa Amane will bury the notebook she has been using in an undisclosed location. She will die by suicide at five thirty four tomorrow evening. She will jump from the window of her thirteenth floor apartment that she shares with Light Yagami. She will land at the feet of her longtime boyfriend who is just arriving home from work._

"_Is this necessary?" Mello asked not really wanting to kill Misa._

"_Yes. I want to destroy him fully__.__ Misa and that notebook are all he has left since the task force members abandoned him. I will take away the one person he has who believes in him," she said with no emotion. _

_She had struggled with this decision at first not wanting to hurt Misa. She was able to make peace with her choice because Misa was not an innocent victim in this situation. The woman was not a blameless child tricked into her actions. She was a stupid woman who had willingly and gladly used the notebook to please Light._

_Description for Light Yagami's death as requested by Masako Lawliet: Light Yagami will commit suicide by shooting himself in the head at exactly ten PM in room 404 at the Royal Winchester Hotel._

* * *

Zero…

"I can't live in a world without Light." ~Misa Amane

"Yes. That would be a dark world." ~ L Lawliet in response to Misa.

* * *

This is not the end yet. One more chapter. :D There will be no more teases about the relationship between Masako and Near.


	19. Chapter 18

"I snuffed out the Light. _Bring on the darkness.  
__I am comfortable here. It is calm. It is quiet.  
My beloved L spent most of his time here and now I understand why.  
Here no one can hurt me. __I am alone and free.  
Here I can be with him once again."  
~ Masako Lawliet, Journal entry two days after the death of Light Yagami.  
_

* * *

Near was worried about her. It had been eight weeks since Light's death, and she had not been the same. Masako was quiet and withdrawn, barely eating or sleeping. She forced smiles to her face for Hideki and pretended everything was perfectly normal. He would catch her crying sometimes, and she would always tell him nothing was wrong. She had become a habitual liar; possibly because she wanted to believe her lie so desperately.

Tonight he found her standing beside her window with her face in her hands, crying. At first, all he could do was stare as she stood there in the moonlight wearing nothing but his pajama top. He was wearing the bottoms. She had come to him earlier, crawling into bed with him like she did almost every night. After a few passionate kisses and halfway undressing, she ran away – just like she constantly did. Usually he left her alone, but tonight he could not – would not – allow her to run anymore.

"Near," Masako gasped when his arms slid around her waist. She could not stop herself from smiling when he propped his chin on her head. He had experienced a growth spurt at some point without her noticing.

"What are you afraid of?" he asked her, turning her to face him. He decided on taking a different tactic rather than asking what was wrong.

"Nothing," she answered, looking into his eyes that sparkled in the moonlight.

"Liar," he accused, covering her mouth with his as he cradled the back of her head.

Masako moaned when his other hand went to the buttons of the pajama top. Her hands moved across his chest that had broadened and become strong. He was developing into a man before her very eyes, and she was so preoccupied with dealing with her emotional pain she was missing it. She whispered his name when his hand covered her breast and gently massaged it to arouse her again. Her lips sought his and easily found them. She wanted him so much she could feel the excitement literally flowing from her down her thigh.

"Let me have you. I want to make you mine. I love you," he whispered, sliding his hand between her warm, naked thighs. He moaned in her ear when his fingers felt the wetness there. "Please…I know you want me too."

Yes, she did. Masako had continued to put him off because the thoughts of L would enter her mind. Guilt would consume her and she would be overcome with remorse as if she were betraying him.

"He's dead, Masako. Let him go. _I'm_ here. _I'm_ _alive,_ and I love you. Please, love me too," he begged her, holding her so tightly her breasts flattened against his chest.

"Near, I do love you," she said, kissing his lips briefly.

She took him to her bed gently pushing him down. After sliding the pajama top from her arms, she bent over him to kiss his belly. The way his abdominal muscles contracted and the soft noise he made from pulling in air excited her. She kept her eyes on his face as she removed his pajama bottoms. He looked frightened yet eager and ready to take her as his lover. She straddled his hips, reaching down to take him in her hand. Her eyes studied his reaction as his mouth dropped open into an O while he struggled to maintain eye contact with her. Masako was apprehensive about taking his virginity. Since it had been almost six years since her last sexual encounter, it could very well be like her first time all over again as well. Raising her hips, she guided him inside of her. She observed his eyes fluttering closed while his fingers grasped the pillow behind his head as if it were a lifeline to the real world to remind him this was not a dream. Her eyes ravenously took in the beautiful sight of him biting his lower lip while his sweet, handsome face twisted with the agony and ecstasy of officially losing his virginity as he indulged in the pleasures of a woman's body for the first time. His moan was like a melodious and arousing symphony of bliss that made her want to thrust him into her body at a blazing speed, but she withheld from the impulse to sway her hips slowly back and forth.

"Oh, Near," she moaned, sliding her arms around his neck when he sat up to hold her.

"This feels so good. I-I never imagined – " His words were interrupted with a groan of pleasure he could not hold back as she continued to move him inside of her.

Masako shrieked with surprise then dissolved into giggles when he rolled her over onto her back. She was more than happy to allow him to be on top to do with her whatever he wanted. Her arms slid around his shoulders, holding him close to her while he made love to her. She had no idea what he had been reading or what kind of fantasies he had been having, but saying it's the thought that counts held true in this case. Whatever he had been thinking, he was making a reality and it was magnificent. Her tender, kind lover surprised her again when he transformed into a sexual beast thrusting into her with short, powerful strokes that he punctuated with a grunt because of the effort he was using. This was a shocking and pleasurable development that ripped his name from her lips over and over.

"Near, oh, god," she cried out, digging her fingernails into his skin as she held his waist.

"Masako, you're mine forever right?" he asked her, licking her neck from her shoulder to her ear lobe.

It was strange but she liked it. Her body shivered beneath his and it took her a moment to find her voice. "Yes, oh, yes, I'm yours."

"Marry me on my twentieth birthday," he demanded more than asked.

"I will," she told him, pressing her mouth to his. It was unfair that he would be making such a request at a time like this. She would have told him yes whenever he asked so timing was not everything. Her body quaked violently as the orgasm began causing her to writhe and moan helplessly under him.

"What's happening?" he asked her, his voice hitching as his climax came.

"It's called an orgasm, honey. Enjoy it," Masako advised him. Like a true voyeur, she stared at the expression of sheer euphoric torture on his face as he experienced his first orgasm with her. She held him as he trembled uncontrollably and his emotions overwhelmed him along with the pleasure. Whispering declarations of her love to him, she held him as he shuddered occasionally from the aftershocks of pleasure that shook his body. She kissed away the tears that had fallen from the stunning strength of the emotions that came with the physical bliss.

Near dotted kisses all over her face in gratitude and love. She had always been able to make him experience powerful emotions that he had never felt before and now was no different. The physical pleasure had been unexpected in its devastating force.

"That was amazing," he whispered, kissing her passionately.

"Want to do it again?" Masako asked, kissing his chest.

"Oh, yes."

~\..'../~

* * *

Over one year later…

Masako walked out to the tree under which Near sat with Hideki building a castle made of dice. A smile curled her lips because it was the tree Near had been sitting under when she saw him for the first time. She touched her part of L still here on earth, uselessly trying to smooth down his black hair. Her eyes roved over the pair and she could not help but smile wider. Hideki was sitting like his father used to, crouched down on his feet with his knees to his chest. He was even chewing on his thumb as he looked at the tower contemplating if he should put on another die or if it would topple the structure. Near sat beside him in the half crouch while twisting a piece of hair around his finger as he considered building the protective wall higher. He had developed insomnia and the dark under eye circles like L had; it must be something that comes with their special brand of genius. She just hoped Near would not have to pay the same price L did.

Masako waited and observed them quietly. She did not want to disturb them yet. Near had just returned home from Japan after assisting with a kidnapping case that ended happily with the child being returned to her parents safe and without injury. He had been quite shaken up by the whole event because the little girl had been seven years old, the same age as Hideki.

Sitting on the bench close to them, she toyed with the silver wedding band monogrammed with an old English script M and N on her left hand ring finger. Near wore a matching one. For his twentieth birthday, he had wanted a wife so he got one. Their wedding ceremony was held in this very spot. She had something important to tell Near, but it could wait just a little while.

"What is it?" Near inquired, sitting on the bench beside her. He put his arm around her to draw her close to his side.

"It's nothing. I – " Her words were cut off by a tender kiss.

"Don't lie to me. I know you better than that. Tell me," he insisted, holding her gaze.

"I heard from Mello," she murmured, but that was not the news she wanted to tell him.

Mello would send the occasional email to inform them that he was still alive. Sometimes he would include banal details like he was enjoying a beach or skiing down mountains. He would never say exactly where he was located and why he was really there. Mello had made a rare appearance for the wedding to give her away to her groom but immediately departed afterward without a word. They hoped that one of these days he would return to them, but it did not seem likely.

"That's not it. I'm glad to hear he's doing well but that's not what was giving you that faraway look in your eyes," he said after she filled him in on the details of Mello's latest adventure through a desert somewhere on the globe.

He knew her too well. With a sheepish grin of feigned innocence, Masako's heart sped up when she prepared to tell him the big news.

"What do you want for your twenty first birthday?" she asked him, looking into his eyes.

"But that's seven months away. What does it matter? What could you give me that I don't already have to make me happy?" He put his arms around her, kissing her briefly on the lips.

"What about a baby? Would you like to be a daddy?" Her eyes searched his as he stared at her blankly in shock. When he did not react for an uncomfortably long time, she began to chew on her lower lip nervously.

"Really? Do you mean it? I'm going to be a father," he said as if he did not believe it. Perhaps hearing the words again would make it more real. He pressed his lips to hers for a fervent kiss.

"Eww! Mom! Near!" Hideki whined upon being subjected to their unusually long and ardent display of affection.

"Baby, how would you like a brother or sister?" Masako asked Hideki.

"Okay I guess. It could be cool to be a big brother," he replied half-heartedly, continuing to build the castle.

Masako was disappointed by the lack of reaction but she had to remember who had helped spawn this child. His father had been the ultimate _under_-reactor. She smiled rubbing her belly and thinking of the new life inside of her. While looking at the man next to her, she wondered what this child would be like.

Seven months later, a baby girl they named Nataniela after her father. She was a beautiful little girl with her father's white hair and her mother's dark brown eyes. The child also possessed the feisty stubbornness of her mother. Two years after her birth, they had their third and final child, a boy they named River also after his father. He had dark brown hair and dark gray eyes. He was shy and withdrawn like his father. These children would grow up to be Y and Z, following in the footsteps of their half-brother, Hideki and father, Near.


End file.
